And The Winner Is....

My word! I have so many films to review!!!

But first things first.

A week yesterday was the end of our annual film week (Woohoo.) Last year was very official.. We had notepads and rated the films to decide a winner. We scraped that. This year was about enjoyment. We didn't decide a winner all together but I know what came out on top for me. (Note: The winner isn't my favourite out of the films on the list. Just the one that I enjoyed most in film week.)

Here are the films:

• DAY 1


• The Beach (****)
  
• Moon (*****)


• Goodfellas (*****)


• The Good, The Bad and The Weird (See previous review)


• DAY 2


• Into The Wild (****)


• The Holy Grail (*****)


• The Pianist (*****)


• Being John Malkovich (*****)


• DAY 3


• In Bruges (*****)


• Brick (*****)


• Walk The Line (****)


• The Shining (*****)


• DAY 4


• Leon (We were half asleep - or asleep- for (ooer))


• Garden State (****)


• Taxi Driver (Which we never got around to.. This year or last year.)


• [500] Days Of Summer (*****)
  

You can tell from my mini star ratings which films I loved.

But the winner is.........

[500] Days Of Summer!

So lets review it.

The story of one man called Tom and his love with Summer. A girl... Not the season. The tag line of the movie is, 'Boy meets Girl. Boy falls in love. Girl doesn't.' Sound original? No? Well it is. Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) works in an office and falls for colleague Summer (Zooey Deschanel.) She may or may not love him back. We follow the 500 days of their relationship, good and bad, but not in chronological order. We jump from day 22 to 204. (Maybe not those exact days but you get the point.)

The film doesn't take itself too serious. We're randomly treated to a documentary about love with opinions from characters. There is a huge dance sequence complete with an animated bird. There is a split-scene comparison between reality and expectations for a whole scene. The film is very funny. Check out the date scene in Ikea, "Honey. I don't know how to tell you this, but there is a Chinese family in our bathroom." But it is also sad... After all it is (not) a love story.

The soundtrack is epic. Every song is brilliantly selected. Some camera work is outstanding and the acting is just... wow.

Watch this movie. No exception.

Best bit? Either the dance sequence or the first date to Ikea. Classic.

Korean Cowboys?

I'm beginning to really love foreign language films. Here is a film that took a famous western and put it in South Korea.

The Good The Bad The Weird pays tribute to the classic, The Good The Bad And The Ugly. Plenty of little in jokes for fans of the western to pick up on as well as little character traits. (The weird/The ugly both brush their teeth with their fingers.) The plot is far simpler than the original. Set in the 1940's, two outlaws and a bounty hunter go on the search of treasure due to a map. Following them are Chinese gangs and the Japanese army. Far less side plots. Not that side plots are a bad thing... But if you have a short attention span like a lot of young people nowadays, this film is easier to watch. Unless you dislike subtitles.

"Check out this backwards shooting!"

Firstly, I noticed straight away how awesome the camera work was. I mean.. It's really incredible at some points. The chase at the end... WOW. So there's not that much of a score (Though during the chase listen for the background tribute to The Good The Bad & The Ugly's score.) but the other technical aspects make up for that. The action sequences are suburb and wonderful to watch. Not only are they full of action but they're also cool and fun. The cast are wonderful. Some may think Byung-hun Lee was the wrong choice for Park Chang-yi / The Bad, but they're wrong. His 'pretty boy' exterior may seem odd for a crazy killer type person but it just makes it all the more effective when he whips out his knife and starts madly slashing people up. Kang-ho Song (Yoon Tae-goo / The Weird) fits his role perfectly. He is weird. There is very few other ways of describing it. But he was brilliant. Woo-sung Jung (Park Do-won / The Good) is just plain cool. From the moment we first see him shooting at The Bad and The Weird plus henchmen, till the very last second. Especially his part in the chase scene.... Wow.

 

Guess Who is Who

Some fun facts about the film... Woo-sung Jung, The Good, broke his arm during filming... This was the most expensive South Korean Film to be made (as of 2009)... And something that made me chuckle: Director Woo-sung Jung claimed he would like this to be called a 'kimchee western' after the Korean food made with fermented cabbages. He says he thinks the plot and film are spicy and vibrant, like the Korean culture and people. Of course, The Good The Bad And The Ugly was a 'Spaghetti western' due to it being a western made by Italians. Really worth a watch if you can be bothered to read subtitles. I dislike it when films aren't given a fair chance because people won't read a little.

 

Best Bit? The Chase Scene. It's awesome. Armies, gangs, outlaws, weirdos, cars, horses, moterbikes... It has everything.

In 2 No Arm.

The title is an anagram... Try and get it :)

This film was undoubtedly less cool than its predecessor but very cool none the less. It also wasn't as good but I think it may just be for that reason. Why wasn't it as cool? Hmmm a fair point.... I don't think it was as fun as the first film. I mean Stark (Downey Jr) was facing inner demons etc.. But then it didn't feel touching either. And the 'big' fight scene at the end is a real disappointment.

Whiplash never looks both ways before crossing the road

But that's the bad out of the way. The acting was suburb. Robert Downey Jr was still brilliantly funny and just seemed to shine with coolness. Sam Rockwell was a brilliant 'villain.' He is officially one of my favourite actors (Check out 'Moon') and he is awesome in this as Stark's business rival. Mickey Rourke is insane as Whiplash or Ivan Vanko, the homemade Iron Man person. With his home made suit that has electric whips that can cut a car in half, he portrays a troubled Russian with pure excellence. Oh bloody hell! I almost forgot Don Cheadle! He stepped into Terrence Howard's shoes like a pro. I forgot he was a different actor. Excellent. Other performances by Samuel L Jackson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson are equally cool and not a single decline in quality.

Direction by Jon Favreau is brilliant and so is his little supporting role. It's edited really well and has an awesome AC/DC-full soundtrack. The camera work is a little generic though.

It is still a good film and super cool. A film to watch with friends and a couple of beers/ cans of coke. (I have 14 year olds read this blog you know. Drinking is bad kids.)



Best bit? The race car fight scene... Brilliant. Funny and full of action.

17 And Sexy. It's.... Matthew Perry?

Yes yes it's that teen hunk, Zac Efron, and everyone's favourite FRIENDS actor, Matthew Perry. They've teamed up to make a kind of touching comedy. And it's pretty good.

I know what a lot of you are thinking. I'm not a twelve year old girl; why would I like it? Well for Matthew Perry of course! But also everything else in the film. Seriously, I decided to watch it because of my love of Matthew Perry and found myself actually enjoying it. Once you get the topless Efron scene out the way at the begining it's clear sailing.

Perry is a middle man (Mike O'Donnall) who's wife and kids don't want anything to do with him. He's just missed out on a promotion which was given to some lady with a nice ass. His bed friend lives in a house full of geek drugs. (Lightsabers, toys etc.) He suddenly gets flung into his 17 year old body (Efron) and given a second chance to re-do life. Get the basketball scholarship instead of a pregnant teen girlfriend. That sort of stuff. You can image the silly situations he gets into. *Giggles*

There were some really dirty scenes in the film

The majority of acting is pretty good. Efron shows he isn't just a Disney produced pile of crap. *COUGH* JONAS BROTHERS *COUGH* He has talent. Check out his last big scene if you don't believe me. He caught some of Matthew Perry's mannerisms through rehearsal but he lacked something... He was too... Zac. Matthew Perry was brilliant of course. Michelle Trachtenberg also put in a good turn as Maggie O'Donnell, Mike's daughter. Also worth a mention is Thomas Lennon. Very funny man.

What brings this film down is everything else. The score/soundtrack is generic, the plot is very familiar and there is nothing special about the camera work. It seems very mediochre in the end but nevertheless enjoyable.



There are certainly films of a lot higher standard but don't just pass this one by. It is worth a watch on a lazy sunday or something.





Best bit? Hmmm... tricky.....

Mike O' Donnell: [after Alex sees his mom, Scarlett and "Mark"/ Mike dancing] She's just nervous... it's creepy, right?


Alex O'Donnell: [stares at him, still weirded out] A little bit.


Mike O' Donnell: She's so old; it's like... [stops himself and immediately walks away]


Alex O'Donnell: You dance with all your friends' moms?


Mike O' Donnell: Pretty much

North By Northwest

Okay no creative title... Sorry.

The famous Hitchcock classic, North By Northwest. If you've seen this film or not you'll know the crop duster scene. Everyone does!

Lets start with the director, Alfred Hitchcock. One of the best directors of all time, if not the greatest. I have huge admiration for this man. His dress sense, his habits, his films, his way of getting things done and his wicked sense of humour. And these aspects are clearly visible. Note his protagonists in suits despite what their doing.

Cary Grant is incredible. A cocky advert exec mistaken for a spy who doesn't exist. Thrown into the deep end of life, he has to fight for his life against evil Vandamm's (James Mason) games. His line delivery is brilliantly funny and his slow turn from cocky exec to almost a spy is believable and precise. Eve Kendall as Eva Marie Saint is incredible. Considering actresses in the 70's were often hired by looks but Hitchcock made sure he had talent in his films. James Mason is always worth a mention. His fun loving criminal mastermind plays games with Thornhill (Grant) like trying to mow him down with a crop duster.

Carry Grant Was Feeling A Bit Run Down Today.

Brilliantly edited together with some crazy, crazy action scenes, (Climbing down Geroge Washington's face anyone?) and a brilliant plot. It's such a good film and very clever and very funny. Its humour is often overlooked but it is incredibly amusing.



Watch it. Watch it now.





Best bit?
The Cropduster scene and.....

[Thornhill climbs into hospital window]

Woman: [Shocked] STOP!

[Turns light on and puts on glasses. Looks at Thornhill]


Woman: [Seductevely] Stop....


[Thornhill Pauses]


Thornhill: [Pointing at woman] HA!


[Leaves]

Wrestling Is Fake?!?!?!

Is it better to say BAFTA winning or Oscar nominated?

Of course I'm talking about Mickey Rourke's performance as Randy 'The Ram' in The Wrestler.

And that's what we're talking about today. The Wrestler. A remarkable film... really.. it is.

A Wrestler who suffers a serious knock back, a heart attack, and his life, portrayed on the big screen with real heart. Rourke is magnificent. When you see a fully grown man who is a wrestler for a living break down into tears... It gets to you. Evan Rachel Wood also puts in a stunning performance as Stephanie, Randy's daughter. I think I mildly fell in love with her.

The Ayatollah's new 'Shout-in-the-face' hit Randy hard.

The story line is very simple but effective. It shows the glamour of wrestling but also the sad empty world it could leave you with. Its easy to sink into and easy to follow. So the less intellegent of us can also enjoy it. BUT it says wrestling is all planned! This may be a shock for those less intellegent i mentioned... Wrestling is fake.. Sorry.



Really Really Really worth a watch. Something for everyone, romance, comedy, emotion, fighting, being sick on the floor, blood. Yup it's all there.





Best bit? Randy's improvisation and using a metal, false leg as a weapon in a fight. Genuis.

Till Death Do Us Departed

This is my 20th post. Should I do something special? Nah.

The Departed. Starring two of my favourite actors and directed by one of my favourite directors; it's gotta be good.

Jack Nicholson is my favourite actor of all time and even at 70 he still rocks this film. Playing Irish mafia boss Frank Costello, he shows that he hasn't lost his triple Oscar wining talent. I can't imagine anyone else playing this part especially considering his part was heavily improvised, (which made some classic moments.. Throwing coke on prostitutes... Wearing a strap-on to the cinema.) He is a weirdo. Leonardo DiCaprio was also amazing starring as a police rat in Costello's mafia. A lack of a real identity drives him mad but he keeps with his job. A man with a identity complex pulled from side to side and portrayed amazingly.

You're doing WHAT at the moment?

Matt Damon is another rat but he's inside the police working for Costello.. Confusing? He's also suburb and highly underrated. He struggles between keeping his secret and keeping his girlfriend happy while trying to find out who the rat in the mafia is. Mark Wahlberg was incredible and really deserved his Oscar nod the angry cop who runs the ship, hates Damon's character and loves his job. Also worth a mention are Vera Farmiga and Alec Baldwin in smaller but equally amazing parts.


In case you haven't guessed, every actor was magnificent. As was the direction. Martin Scorsese is one of the best directors of all time and he continued that reputation with 'his first film with a plot.' Don't even get me started on the soundtrack. It was so brilliantly used. The sudden cuts, the choice of songs... It's all so good. The camera work is stunning. Everything is just awesome.

"What drink should I have with my breakfast? Wine? Coffee? OJ? Tea?"

The action keeps you on the very edge of your seat and the emotional moments/ breakdowns are emotional. The plot is complex yet understandable. The acting and direction are amazing. It's just an amazing film. Watch it.

Best bit? The nail biting finale. All the way to the last second.

The Good The Bad And The Okay Looking.

Poor old Eli Wallach... Being classed as 'The Ugly.' He's not that bad... Could be worse.

The Good The Bad And The Ugly. 9.0 on IMBD... Number 25 on Empire's top 500... One of the best films ever?? It is very good. I'm just stuck on how good.... Lets review it first.

FYI (For your information.) Blondie is The Good, Tuco is The Ugly and Angel Eyes is The Bad

The plot is brilliant. Blondie (Clint Eastwood) and Tuco (Wallach) have a little (illeagal) buisness going but when Blondie leaves Tuco in the desert, revenge is called for. When the pair stumble across a wagon full of dead soldiers they discover there is $200,000 buried somewhere. The twist? Blondie and Tuco hear different halves of the secret. Neither of them can get their hands on the money alone. Through out twist and turns, Angel Eyes (Lee Van Cleef) discovers Tuco's half of the secret and the race is on.

Tuco was a bit tied up with the race for the money.

Eastwood is the coolest man from the 60's simply from this film. (Paul Newman comes a close second.) Wallach was Oscar worthy and Van Cleef was... Great. These guys really put their lives into this film. I mean it! Eastwood and Wallach could have died! Imagine it! The last 40 years without Gran Torino, Million Dollar Baby or any other Clint Eastwood film! You see, during an explosion, Eastwood is taking cover in some sand bags with Wallach and some wreckage slammed inches away from his head. Wallach on the other hand, was almost decapitated by a train while lying along side the rails. (These are parts of the film but the threats were real.)

"Looking hot today Eastwood"

The cinematography was excellent. The soundtrack is iconic. Sure the film is only just shy of three hours but still is shorter than The Godfather Part II. The drama doesn't stop and due to the sassy one liners from Tuco and simple coolness of Blondie every second is watchable. The pair are enjoyable to watch and Van Cleef is a brilliant villain. The rough nature of the west is thrilling and exciting.

Overall this film is brilliant. This review has helped me make a decision on the rating. If you have three free hours, watch this. You won't regret it.


Best Bit? The last half an hour. Pure brilliance.

Take A Right.. And It's The Last House On The Left.

Despite the title sounding like a set of directions The Last House On The Left has a slight hope. Yes it's a remake which makes every fan in the film world cringe with pain BUT it is a Wes Craven film originally. So it has promise as long as the screenwriters control the urge to dumb it down and make it more graphic to appeal to gore junkies. Well this is half and half... The rape scene near the beginning is a hell of a lot tamer. There's no forced lesbian action or peeing... which is good for most.. But hey, I'm not here to judge... Cept films..

The Events Of This Film, Rape And Murder, Occur Because These Kids Smoked Pot.

Don't Do Drugs Kids

As the film progresses though there is a lot more violence... All of the characters died in different ways to the original but its not that big an issue. The issue I have with this film is everything else. Horror films can be a brilliant chance to express acting skills (John Cuzack, 1408) but then I'm not sure if this a horror... It's certainly is some form of thriller... But anyway it was a brilliant chance for the cast (mainly Tony Goldwyn (John Collingwood) and Monica Potter (Emma Collingwood)) to prove their acting talent... To shift from good Samaritans to vengeful murderers. A slow realisation maybe? Then a plot? Then a loss of human morals? 'Nah skip that' is what the director said. When the Collingwoods realise who their guests are they go crazy. This leads to the assumption that they were already mentally unstable before their daughter was raped... yeah... obvious right?

I think that was really my biggest issue with the film... It focused too much on the plot and action and lost the crucial character details that make a film excellent. It also had one of those reaaaaalllyyy generic soundtracks/score that consisted simply of 'creepy' music.. very disappointing. You can create horror and/or tension through soundtrack without rubbish noises that do nothing but build up catharsis.. badly. Check any Alfred Hitchcock horror/ thriller or 28 Days Later. That's how a score/ soundtrack should be used. Speaking of 28 Days Later, the film that has my favourite cinematography EVER, The Last House On The Left could learn from it. The camera shots weren't bad but they could've been better.

The middle of nowhere had a really bad hoodie culture.

I can't say I enjoyed this film, but then again I can't say I hated it. Detail is one of my favourite things in films and this movie lacked the detail in character depth. The only one who nailed it was young Spencer Treat Clark (Justin.) His character swayed from casual druggie to determined fighter with clear daddy issues. He makes this film half a star better than it would've been otherwise. (That's right I'm using half stars now!)

For a remake it's not actually that bad; compared to the other shit that is produced nowadays. And it may actually be worth a watch, if only to judge it for yourself.

Best Bit? When one of the baddies gets his hands stuck in a food disposal unit... Ouch!

Could I Review A More Appropriate Film?

No.. No I couldn't but! Before I start I want to take this opportunity to say that, despite two complaints, my St Trinians review is right.

I watched Election today. No not the General Election, thats tomorrow. No I watched Election; a delightful satirical comedy staring Reese Witherspoon and Ferris Bueller... I mean Matthew Broderick. My hopes were high as this film is in Empire's 500 greatest of all time, number 389. Not a bad start really and the film doesn't fail its expectations.

"Your Heroic Pose Is Excellent Tracy"

Reese Witherspoon was awesome and she is rapidly moving up my favourite actresses list. Her turn as the nerdy, controlling, power hungry, high school girl, Tracy Flick, is a joy to watch. We see her go from smart and annoying to a desperate school girl who feels success is the only thing that awaits her. Ripping down posters and making sure nothing stands in her way she seems unstoppable until Mr McAllister (Broderick) steps in and convinces others to run against Tracy.

He convinces that guy from American Pie... You know.. Oz... he's in the first two...(Chris Klien) to run against Tracy. This encourages his lesbian sister to also run to get revenge on her ex and her brothers current girlfriend.

All the cast are wonderful and the film is great fun. If you want a light film to fill a couple of hours, give this a shot. I really dont feel like this film needs much more reviewing.. But it wins a reconmendation from me.

Best Bit? The very beggining when we're introduced to the characters. Very funny.

Wanna Go To An All Girl School?

A friend of mine didn't know any of the films I was reviewing and asked if I would review one she did. So here we go.

St Trinians.

Now when reviewing 'Whip It' I said everything that shouldn't work did. This is the oppisite. Everything that shouldn't work didn't.

Firstly the plot was completely ridiculous, though admitidly it was meant to be, and I found myself unable to comprehend what was going on. A plot can be ridiculous but still work just fine. Such films like Being John Malkovich but this one didn't. It never came to life because it refused to be real and ridiculous.

This may of course be down to the acting. I'll start with the good point; Russell Brand was pretty good and funny. Now the rest but before I complain too much i would like to point out that the bad acting maybe because directors Oliver Parker and Barnaby Thompson have no idea about teen stereotypes. The emos are goths, the chavs are chavy for one scene then become normal and the geeks are popular! Now thats just silly right? Our protagonist, Annabelle (played by Talulah Riley) actually has some acting chops but they're only shown a little and I blame the directors for holding her back and giving her character a huuuuuuuggee change of heart so quickly, not a gradual build up to an alliance with the others.

Look at me. I'm an emo... Wait... Am I?

Now addmitedly there was just a sheer lack of brilliance in this film but it wasn't a disaster. Its a silly film that young kids will enjoy and their parents will enjoy if they watched the original St Trinians from the 60's... Bringing back memories and full of in-jokes. They also won't understand the mess up with the stereotypes because its after their time.

But this film just didn't grasp me. It wasn't funny, nor was it thoughtful or clever. It was just a bit silly and another unneeded reboot of a classic franchise. If you wanna kill a couple of hours but don't want to think too much, watch Anchorman or Little Miss Sunshine... Something fun and good.

Best Bit? The Hockey Game.. Bout the only funny bit.

Texas... The Place Where Old People Can't Go.

It's certainly not a country for old men that Texas. The film says so. What film? Seriously you haven't got it yet? No Country For Old Men, one of my favourite films to date. I'm watching it while I type this.

But why is it one of my favourites? Why did it win best picture? Well I'll tell you. Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Tommy Lee Jones and some brothers Coen. Yup the Coen brothers hit a homerun yet again. Fargo, The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading (Okay that came after No Country For Old Men but shhh)Yup these guys know what they're doing. And after having a Coen brothers film session, I now notice the little details that make their films unique. The indepth background characters, the camera shots and the plots.

"What do you mean I'm to old to be here?"

Well Javier Bardem is my next point of interest. He won Best Supporting Actor for this film so you'd think he was pretty good. He is. But who or what is the character he is portraying? Drug pusher? Serial killer? Just full out psychopath? I don't know but it doesn't matter. He does it amazingly. Armed with some gas canister thing that can shoot a hole through a mans head he eptimises scary. Yeah this isn't a horror but I promise you, if you met Bardem's Anton Chigurh in the street, you would run like hell; just as much as any horror star.

Josh Brolin now. The calm, relaxed protagonist of this film despite the fact he's being chased by a crazed killer with a silenced shotgun and gas canister. He also produces awesomeness with his quick quirky lines and sawn off shotgun. "I want tent poles." "Well you'll have to get a tent." "I'll have a tent then" "what kind?" "kind with the most poles." Tehehehehehehe makes me laugh. Plus he is a genius. I would never be able to avoid murderous men for as long as he does (though he does have a wicked awesome shotgun battle when they do meet"

The soundtrack... wait... what soundtrack? The lack of emotional score actually creates more emotion, more exitment, more tension.

"Say hello to my little friend."

Overall the film is amazing... So many good sequences and scenes, So many good lines, So much AWESOMENESS. Try watching it without going "My God this film is epic." You can't. Simple truth.

Best bit? The Shotgun shootout in the street. One of my favourite scenes ever.

Timecrimes OR Los Cronocrimenes

You may well have guessed that this film isn't an English language film. That's okay right? We don't mind some subtitles, do we? No. Because one cannot claim to love films without first accepting films in all of its forms and varieties.

Anyhoo. Do you like Time travel? Paradoxes? Naked Women? Crazed bandage wearing freaks? Then boy do I have a film for you! In English it's called Timecrimes though its real name is Los Cronocrimenes, directed by Spanish director, Nacho Vigalondo (His first feature film may I add.) I was first attracted to this film when they showed this picture in Empire Magazine:

Only a real man can pull off pink...

I love crazy, psychotic characters and when I saw those bandages I knew he'd be a good'un. And so I read the article but alas it wasn't that informative.... But HMV had the answer; there it was in the foreign films section for only £3. How could I refuse? I couldn't is the answer. And it didn't disappoint.

The plot is awesome. It feels like one should think more but really you just have to sit back and watch the events occur. It's mind bending nevertheless; How does the loop start? Did any paradoxes occur? Did Hector affect the timeline at all? The simple answers to all these questions is... It doesn't matter. IMDB message boards will answer them correctly but the simple truth is you don't need to know.

Next, the acting. I very much enjoyed Karra Elejalde's change from a mildly grumpy middle aged man to a dark, sinister character as he battles himself for his life. (You'll get it if you watch the film) He travels back in time a couple of hours and has to preserve the timeline and ensure that he (Hector 1) proceeds to carry out Hector 2's actions. Confusing? Nah. Watch it... it'll make sense.

"Damn I knew I should've brought my telescope"

Overall the film is an enjoyable waste of 90 minutes or so. There are some excellent camera shots, an awesome score, some OMG NO WAY moments and some funny times. Also look out for a crew member trying to get out of camera shot at around 4 minutes when Hector picks up the phone.

Best Bit? Another Tricky one but I'm gonna go with The first chase in the woods with the bandaged guy. (See second picture for exact moment.)