Anna's FILMS

The Three Musketeers: Film #138 of Film 365

2012-02-11T16:10:00.000-08:00

Saturday 11th February 2012

Director: Stephen Herek
Year: 1993
Stars: Chris O'Donnell, Kiefer Sutherland, Oliver Platt, Charlie Sheen, Tim Curry, Michael Wincott, Rebecca DeMornay, Hugh O'Conor

I've seen this before, but it was some time ago. I remember really quire enjoying it though. Although I suspect that this may well have had something to do with the fact that I was about 14, and Kiefer Sutherland is in it. None of this stopped me wanting to watch it again though - in fact, watching a fun, swashbuckling movie on a lazy Saturday afternoon sounded like a great idea!

There are no surprises with the storyline here. An evil cardinal (Curry) wants to kill the King of France (O'Conor) and take the power for himself, and The Three Musketeers (Sutherland, Platt and Sheen), along with D'Artagnan (O'Donnell), must stop him. I still enjoyed the parts with Kiefer Sutherland, but this is clearly a movie made for teenage girls. It feels very much like a precursor to Pirates of the Caribbean (this is a Disney movie after all), but with a less mental storyline and no Johnny Depp.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Into the Wild: Film # 137 of Film 365

2012-02-11T15:59:00.000-08:00

Friday 10th February 2012

Director: Sean Penn
Year: 2007
Stars: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt, Jena Malone, Vince Vaughn, Brian H. Dierker, Catherine Keener, Kristen Stewart, Hal Holbrook

Into the Wild was part of a TV premiere double bill on Film Four, showing on the same night as Far North. Both films focus on Alaska, or at least somewhere in the Arctic (in the case of Far North). They are also both what my family might define as "Annie movies" - that is to say, movies that can be rather slow, with a lot of cinematography and sparse dialogue. Far North displays a lot more of these traits than Into the Wild, but both movies have them. Beyond this though, the movies are very different.

However, I can understand why some people might struggle with Into the Wild. Part of me was expecting to as well, but it turned out that I ended up really enjoying the movie. I found the tale intriguing (even more so for it being a true story), and whilst there were a lot of scenery and landscape shots, to me they felt as if they added to the story and helped create the right atmosphere. Into the Wild is all about Chris McCandless (Hirsch), a 23-year old who goes on road trip across the US to find himself, and ends up planning to spend time alone in the wilderness in Alaska. It's an involving story with something interesting to say about human nature, and, in my opinion at least, worth making an effort to watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Descendants: Film #136 of Film 365

2012-02-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 8th February 2012

Director: Alexander Payne
Year: 2011
Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller

Having seen some fairly convincing reviews and trailers for The Descendants, coupled with it being nominated for an Oscar or two and directed by Alexander Payne (director of Sideways, a movie I love), I was keen to see this movie. Dan was less convinced, the trailer maybe not having sold the film in the most convincing way.

Whilst The Descendants wasn't the movie Dan feared he would see, it also wasn't the movie either of us hoped we would see. In it, Clooney plays Matt King, a man whose wife ends up on life support after a boating accident. As if that wasn't enough to deal with, he also discovers that his wife was having an affair.

Don't get me wrong, The Descendants isn't a bad movie. But it's certainly not George Clooney's best, and my reaction to it was a simple "good". It's a perfectly watchable film, and I merrily whiled away two hours watching it, but it is not, and shouldn't be, competition for the likes of The Artist or Martha Marcy May Marlene.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Far North: Film #135 of Film 365

2012-02-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

Monday 6th February 2012

Director: Asif Kapadia
Year: 2007
Stars: Michelle Yeoh, Michelle Krusiec, Sean Bean

This is a film that might take a little patience - commonly known amongst my family as "an Annie film". I.e. one that I will sit and watch, but nobody else has the patience for. In my opinion, this doesn't always make for a bad film - just one that requires some effort. Far North has very little in the way of dialogue, but it does have some beautiful scenery and cinematography to show just how desolate the Arctic can be - and which draws interesting parallels with the characters, their relationships and emotions.

Up until the final ten minutes, I really thought Far North might exceed my expectations and be rather rewarding. It tells the story of Saiva and Anya, two Inuits who live together, but not with a tribe. The film sets itself up as giving a realistic portrayal of these two women and their lives - and then pulls this all away from the viewer in the final ten minutes. The finale can only be described as unexpected - even after this review, you won't see it coming. It makes Far North memorable, but not what I was hoping for.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Knowing: Film # 134 of Film 365

2012-02-06T01:00:00.000-08:00

Friday 3rd February 2012

Director: Alex Proyas
Year: 2009
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Chandler Canterbury, Rose Byrne, Lara Robinson

If Romance and Cigarettes was made to confuse me, Knowing was made to reassure me that there are still such things as Hollywood movies. Almost nothing about this will surprise you - apart from perhaps the ending, which isn't quite as Hollywood as you might expect. And probably all the better for it. Within the first 10 minutes I had pretty much guessed where this was going; but it didn't really mean that getting there was any less enjoyable, as long as you were happy to give in to the standard Hollywood gloss (and, at times, really rather obvious CGI).

Nicolas Cage is John Koestler, a man whose son (Caleb, played by Canterbury) receives a list of numbers when a time capsule is dug up at his school, 50 years after it was buried. It will come as no surprise that the list of numbers is significant, but everybody thinks Cage is mad for believing so - until the final third of the movie.

There's not really much to say about Knowing that you don't know already. It's a perfectly good example of what it is, with a slightly better than average ending. But it isn't going to make my Film of the Year either.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Romance and Cigarettes: Film # 133 of Film 365

2012-02-05T16:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 1st February 2012

Director: John Turturro
Year: 2005
Stars: James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet, Steve Buscemi

It wasn't until I started watching Romance and Cigarettes that I remembered what was odd about it - they sing. That in itself doesn't really bother me; I'm perfectly happy with a good musical and have few problems with characters breaking out into song at completely inappropriate (or sometimes even appropriate) moments.

What I still find odd about Romance and Cigarettes is that I don't really know what the film was trying to do, or say. It all felt, well, a little experimental. Sarandon plays Kitty Kane, a woman whose husband (Nick Murder, played by Gandolfini) has cheated on her. The film follows Nick and Kitty as they deal (or fail to deal) with this.

I don't know whether I liked this or not. I'm just confused by it. And I also can't help but feel that the name Nick Murder is significant - I just don't really understand how. See, confused.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 (I think)

January 2012 films

2012-02-05T04:35:00.000-08:00

The year seems to have started off well. In an attempt to get some of the myriad of movies I have recorded watched, I planned my film viewing in January fairly carefully. And it seems to have worked. I stuck to the movies I said I would watch, and as a result have watched 19 movies in 31 days. Considering I had to work and organise buying a house in the same month, I don't think that's bad going! Here's the list:

The Iron Lady (2011) - 3 stars
Once Upon a Time in America (1984) - 4 stars
Bruno (2009) - 1.5 stars
The Other Boleyn Girl (2008) - 2.5 stars
House of Wax (2005) - 3 stars
Defiance (2008) - 3 stars
The Hand that Rocks the Cradle (1992) - 3.5 stars
In the Valley of Elah (2007) - 4 stars
Talldega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby (2007) - 3.5 stars
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - 3 stars
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) - 3.5 stars
The Artist (2011) - 4.5 stars
Adventureland (2009) - 3 stars
Ratatouille (2007) - 4 stars
Taken (2008) - 3 stars
Rumour Has It (2005) - 2 stars
I Love You, Man (2009) - 3 stars
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011) - 3.5 stars
Dorian Gray (2009) - 4 stars

There is a proper mix of movies in here. From funny, smart animations to rubbish comedy and romances, to brilliant classics (or very possibly classics-to-be), to your average thrillers and dramas. One thing I will say is that almost every movie on this list is memorable, for one reason or another (and not always for good reasons). That's rare when I watch so many movies in one month.

However, Film of the Month is really rather easy. From this list, The Artist is unbeatable. All the other 4 star movies have flaws, whereas The Artist is just a wonderful, well-made movie with very little to hate about it. It uses black and white and silence in an incredibly talented, powerful way - and I was very pleased to discover that the critics were raving about it because it's actually good!

Film not to waste your time on is also a pretty easy choice. Whilst there are very definitely some average, "meh" movies on this list, one stands out as inexcusably bad. Disappointingly, after Baren Cohen's previous effort (Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan), which was far funnier than I expected it to be, Bruno has all the bad taste elements that didn't make it into Borat.

So, with all this movie-watching, how is Film 365 doing this month? I've now watched 132 movies out of 365 - or 36%. Not quite half way then... I should have watched 325 films, and be only 40 movies away from finishing. This might take two years then - but I'm doing far better than I was 3 months ago!

Film of the Month: The Artist
Film not to waste your time on: Bruno

No. of Film 365 films watched: 132/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 325/365

The Iron Lady: Film # 132 of Film 365

2012-01-29T10:12:00.000-08:00

Saturday 28th January 2012

Director: Phyllidia Lloyd
Year: 2011
Stars: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Olivia Colman, Alexandra Roach, Harry Lloyd

I wasn't expecting much from this. I had agreed to go to the cinema to see it as some friends had expressed an interest, but I was pretty sure I was going to get a fluffy movie that wasn't really about Margaret Thatcher at all.

Well, this wasn't exactly right. The Iron Lady does acknowledge Margaret Thatcher's career, and that not everybody was happy with the political decisions she made. What it doesn't do is investigate these in any depth. It spends half its time focusing on Margaret Thatcher's life today, after the death of her husband (Broadbent).

The problem with The Iron Lady is that it feels like two different movies, and it doesn't really know which one it wants to be. If it was a movie about Thatcher's days as Prime Minister, looking at the pros and cons of what she instigated, it could have been very interesting. If it was a movie about a woman dealing with the death of her husband, it didn't need to be about Margaret Thatcher.

What is good is Meryl Streep's portrayal of Thatcher. I've never been a massive fan of Streep, but she does do a very good job here. I thought I was watching Thatcher, not Streep. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Jim Broadbent. I usually love watching Broadbent, but here he's too busy being Jim Broadbent, and not Denis Thatcher.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Once Upon a Time in America: Film # 131 of Film 365

2012-01-29T10:03:00.000-08:00

Friday 27th January 2012

Director: Sergio Leone
Year: 1984
Stars: Robert De Niro, James Woods, Elizabeth McGovern, Larry Rapp, Joe Pesci

I was bought Once Upon a Time in America for Christmas on Blu ray. I had asked for it, so it wasn't a bad choice of present. However, I hadn't seen the movie before. I didn't really know much about it until I read an article about the blu ray release in a film magazine a few months ago. The article was convincing enough to make me want to watch the movie, so when I saw that it was pretty cheap on Amazon I added it to my wish list.

After a long day travelling to and from Portsmouth for work (it shouldn't, but it takes 2 1/2 hours to get there and back from Bristol) I figured an evening watching a movie wasn't a bad way to spend my time. A word of warning here - it really does take a whole evening to watch this. It's nearly four hours long. Thankfully I knew this going into the experience, so I wasn't too distressed about it. However, concentrating after 3 and a half hours is tough, however ready you are for the experience.

For the most part, I really enjoyed Once Upon a Time in America. I usually love gangster movies anyway, and the best ones (think The Godfather, Goodfellas...) are often lengthy movies. Leone does a good job of creating a convincing gangster movie, and even manages to evoke different eras by using different film styles. Here, it's always easy to tell if you're in the 1930s or the 1980s. The main story, whilst long, makes sense and is pretty satisfying. My one problem with Once Upon a Time in America is that the first half an hour is never explained satisfactorily- at least, not in my opinion. OK, so you can claim "it's just the mob" (and therefore makes sense), you can read part of the movie as a "dream sequence" (a frustrating cop-out in my opinion, if that was the director's intention) - but none of those readings satisfy me. It's a pity, because the omission of what could have been a 30 second explanation turns a great movie into a frustrating one.

Leone has not created (as one imdb reviewer puts it) a "cultural endurance test" (although the phrase amuses me) - but if you are going to watch this, be wary of the very long running time and some frustrating lack of plot explanations. If you love gangster movies, I think you probably have to give this a watch, and for the most part you will enjoy it. But it's not perfect.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Bruno: Film # 130 of Film 365

2012-01-26T14:47:00.000-08:00

Thursday 26th January 2012

Director: Larry Charles
Year: 2009
Stars: Sacha Baren Cohen, Gustaf Hammarsten

This film is stupid. And not in the way that Talladega Nights is stupid. It's depressingly stupid. The most depressing thing about it is that there are rare moments of insight, and even brilliance, in here. The more subtle parody (the scene featuring the talk show, the scenes with the reverend), are great to watch. That's not to say these are particularly subtle moments - just more subtle than the rest of this sledgehammer of a movie. But if Bruno had been that movie, I'd be singing its praises.

Unfortunately, it isn't. Cohen plays Bruno, a gay man who wants to be famous. So he spends the movie trying to be famous and having gay sex in equal measures. It's meant to be funny, but it just goes way too far. Where Borat manages to offend nobody by offending everybody, this is depressing and may well offend everybody - if only because of its awfulness. Give it a miss.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

The Other Boleyn Girl: Film # 129 of Film 365

2012-01-23T14:50:00.000-08:00

Monday 23rd January 2012

Director: Justin Chadwick
Year: 2008
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Natalie Portman, Eric Bana, Kristen Scott Thomas, Jim Sturgess, David Morrisey, Mark Rylance

As films go, The Other Boleyn Girl is watchable. It tells the story of Anne and Mary Boleyn, two sisters who get caught up in the world of Henry VIII. If you enjoy historical movies about real-life Kings and Queens, you'll probably be attracted to this.

And therein lies the problem. If you do enjoy this sort of thing, no doubt you'll have seen many movies/ TV shows about King Henry VIII already. This one doesn't really have anything new to offer. And if this is the first time you've tried watching something like this, you won't realise how factually inaccurate it is. It takes all the rumours and possible things that might have happened between Anne and Henry, and presents them all as fact (as well as just blatantly getting some things wrong). This appears to be intentional, as the book the movie is based on does claim to be a work of fiction. But it still annoyed me. The film doesn't explicitly state it's a work of fiction (except in the end credits), so it's likely you're going to believe what you're told if you don't know know any better - meaning you'll come away having learnt all the wrong things.

The Other Boleyn Girl could have been duller, but it could also have been more factually accurate, more engaging, and generally rather less frustrating.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

House of Wax: Film # 128 of Film 365

2012-01-22T18:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday 21st January 2012

Director: Jaume Collet-Sera
Year: 2005
Stars: Elisha Cuthbert, Chad Michael Murray, Brian Van Holt, Jared Padalecki, Jon Abrahams, Robert Ri'chard, Paris Hilton

Don't expect anything special from this movie. As long as you go in with expectations of a standard horror movie with all the genre cliches, you'll be perfectly happy with what you get. The best clue about what is going on is probably in the title - if you hadn't guessed, it involves turning humans into wax (I don't think that's giving too much away...).

There's nothing wrong with House of Wax. It knows what it is, and is a perfectly enjoyable, fun (if you like this sort of thing) Friday night movie. Just don't expect to need to engage your brain. Oh, and although it's officially a remake of the 1953 version, apparently they're nothing alike. I haven't seen that one, so I can't comment.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Defiance: Film # 127 of Film 365

2012-01-22T14:54:00.000-08:00

Thursday 19th January 2012

Director: Edward Zwick
Year: 2008
Stars: Daniel Craig, Liev Schrieber, Jamie Bell, Alexa Davalos

I've had this movie recorded for a while, but was delaying watching it because it was fairly long. However, I had a fairly quiet evening so decided to give it a go... without really knowing what sort of movie I was going to be watching, because I couldn't really remember what Defiance was about, or why I had recorded it.

Well, it's all about World War II, and a group of Jews who lived in the forest during the war. Tuvia Bielski (Craig) is the group's Commander, and has to work to keep them altogether and working as a team. It's based on a true story, but it's not one I knew about before watching Defiance.

There's nothing wrong with Defiance, and the story is an interesting and (like all World War II movies featuring the Jews) harrowing one. However, I can't help but feel like I've seen this movie - or something like it- many, many times before. Whilst it was a new story to me, the film itself wasn't really anything memorable, new or special. There are better, more involving World War II movies out there - take a look at In Darkness or The Piano for just two excellent examples.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Hand that Rocks the Cradle: Film # 126 of Film 365

2012-01-21T14:48:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 18th January 2012

Director: Curtis Hanson
Year: 1992
Stars: Annabella Sciorra, Rebecca DeMornay, Matt McCoy, Julianne Moore, Ernie Hudson, Madeline Zima

I was convinced I'd seen this before, although I knew it was some time ago. However, having talked to a colleague at work about it, I couldn't really remember any of the scenes he mentioned. So when it was being shown on TV, I thought I'd give it a re-watch to remind myself of what happens.

Five minutes into the movie, and I had no memory at all of any the scenes. I'm really not sure I had seen this before - either it's been wiped from my memory entirely, or I was just mixing it up with some other movie.

In The Hand that Rocked the Cradle, Claire (Sciorra) accuses her doctor of molesting her when she's pregnant. This leads to a rather angry wife managing to work her way into Claire's family, as a nanny for her two children. Obviously this isn't good news, and the rest of the movie focuses on the events that follow.

There are a lot of scenes in The Hand that Rocked the Cradle that feel very familiar to me in a "I've seen this in a Hollywood thriller before" sort of way. However, many of these thrillers may well have been made since The Hand that Rocked the Cradle was released, so it's possible this movie is something of a genre definer. It was certainly an enjoyable movie to watch, even if it was fairly obvious (at least to me) what was coming when.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

In the Valley of Elah: Film # 125 of Film 365

2012-01-20T14:39:00.000-08:00

Monday 16th January 2012

Director: Paul Haggis
Year: 2007
Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Jason Patric, Susan Sarandon, James Franco, Josh Brolin

In direct contrast to Talladega Nights, this movie isn't silly at all - or funny. It is still very good though, even if its aim is to be a worthy movie.

Hank Deerfield's (Lee Jones) son works for the army, and is reported as having gone AWOL. In an attempt to find out what has happened, Hank goes looking for some answers. This slowly leads to some awful realisations about the American army, and the way Hank has previously viewed the world.

Although the story is supposedly about his son, the central character here is really Hank. It's an interesting, insightful character study of how one person's views can change so dramatically. This is a character who goes from being a staunch patriot to realising America isn't quite the idealistic place he once knew. This is portrayed especially well using some scenes that, when we first see them, feel (albeit reasonably in context) quite random, and as if they are just setting the scene. Watch out especially for the scenes with the US flag, and those with the lady talking about the dog in the police station.

I felt as if this movie had a point to make when I started watching it, and by the time the film had ended this was very definitely confirmed. Whether or not you agree with the point, it is very effectively made, and a very interesting movie to watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby: Film # 124 of Film 365

2012-01-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Sunday 15th January 2012

Director: Adam McKay
Year: 2006
Stars: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Leslie Bibb, Amy Adams, Jane Lynch, Gary Cole

This is a silly movie. I don't mean that in a negative way - it's just a movie that manages to be funny by being very silly. Given that that is clearly its intention, this works pretty well. Talladega Nights starts out stupid, gets dafter and ends on a silly note. And I really enjoyed all this silliness.

Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) has always dreamed of driving fast cars. He gets his wish when he has a chance to contend in a motor race, and wins. However, as the movie continues, life gets harder for Ricky Bobby and he struggles to maintain his winning streak.

Being that this is a silly movie, sometimes it oversteps the mark - some scenes that are clearly meant to be funny just don't feel quite right. But on the whole, it gets the comedy bang-on, and had me laughing out loud on more than one occasion. It also had me muttering "that's just stupid" quite a lot - but in a good way.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Film #123 of Film 365

2012-01-15T10:30:00.000-08:00

Friday 13th January 2012

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Year: 2007
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Abbie Cornish, Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans

Some time ago now I did watch Elizabeth, the prequel to this movie. I have to admit that I can't remember much about it - I think it was OK, but nothing spectacular. I guess you could say something very similar about this movie. There's nothing wrong with it, but it fits happily into that "movies about British Kings and Queens that don't quite stay true to history" niche.

This time around, Elizabeth (Blanchett) has grown up a little and is trying to stop the Spanish from beating England with their Spanish Armada. She's got Sir Francis Drake to advise her and Sir Walter Raleigh to woo her.

All the actors do a pretty good job of playing their roles exactly as they're meant to, so it's a fun enough movie to watch. Even Cate Blanchett does a pretty good job with Elizabeth, and I've never been her biggest fan. Elizabeth: The Golden Age isn't really anything to get excited about it, but it's a fun enough movie for a Friday night.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Vicky Cristina Barcelona: Film #122 of Film 365

2012-01-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday 12th January 2012

Director: Woody Allen
Year: 2008
Stars: Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem, Penelope Cruz, Patricia Clarkson

I admit it - I've never been a massive Woody Allen fan. I don't mind some of his movies, but I just don't understand the love some critics have for his earlier efforts. I'm generally willing to give his newer movies a chance though, as they bother me a little less. Sometimes I even come close to enjoying them.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona, thankfully, falls into this latter category. Hall and Johansson play Vicky and Cristina respectively, and they both do a great job of playing Woody Allen between them. Because Woody Allen always stars in the movies he directs, even when he's not in them.

The movie is acceptable up until the time Vicky and Cristina meet Juan Antonio (Bardem), but more specifically, when Maria Elena (Cruz) appears. Again, I've never been a massive Penelope Cruz fan, but she's great in this. At least she is when she's being neurotic. Her character was great fun to watch and really made the movie for me. Without her, it would have been standard Woody Allen fare. With her, I could almost say I really enjoyed Vicky Cristina Barcelona. The only problem is that she wasn't in it quite enough.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Artist: Film #121 of Film 365

2012-01-14T10:07:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 11th January 2012

Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Year: 2011
Stars: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell

I was a little sceptical going to see this movie, but I was also intrigued. There's been a lot of press coverage for The Artist, and a lot of very positive reviews. Part of me wondered if this was simply because it's a silent, black and white movie - and critics and the press loved it just because it reminded them of the good ol' days. But as a film fan, it got me curious, so I risked going to the cinema to see it...

... and loved it. The Artist is a really good movie, and it uses sound especially to great effect. That might seem odd considering we're talking about a silent movie, but in order to create a silent movie for the 2010s, you at least need a score. Old movies would have had musicians playing along to the images in the actual theatres, so a silent movie of today needs to recreate this somehow - and it seems unlikely we're going to get musicians into the cinemas (much as I personally would love that).

This review so far probably sounds like I also loved The Artist because it's a silent, black and white movie. I actually loved it because it tells a good story in a very unique, interesting way. The story is all about a silent movie actor who suffers when talkies become popular, and his protégée, who benefits greatly from the same thing. So it being in black and white, and silent, fits the story perfectly - but doesn't take anything at all away from the movie.

The movie loses half a star simply because I don't think it's the kind of film I would watch over and over again. Other than that, it's a brilliant movie and comes highly recommended.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Not a film review...

2012-01-11T17:00:00.000-08:00

... but a book review.

It's rare that I read books about movies. Firstly, because it reminds me too much of studying for my undergraduate media and cultural studies degree, which, whilst fun, required me to read a lot of books about movies - and they were often really rather dry. Secondly, when I read a book I tend to want a good story and a reason to relax, so I'll almost always choose fiction before fact.

However, having read some very positive reviews of Mark Kermode's "The Good, The Bad and the Multiplex: Whats' Wrong with Modern Movies?", knowing I enjoyed his radio show and TV appearances generally, and tittering away to myself when picking up the book in a book store and reading a random segment, I thought I'd give it a go, and put it on my Christmas list.

And what a good Christmas present it turned out to be. It only took me a few days to read the book, but that's because I was enjoying it so much. Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with everything the author says - regardless, I learnt a lot. And thought a lot. And definitely laughed a lot.

A book that's worth every penny, and a joy to read. If you love movies, read this book. I'm now tempted to go out and hunt down his first one.

Adventureland: Film #120 of Film 365

2012-01-11T14:37:00.000-08:00

Sunday 8th January 2012

Director: Greg Mottola
Year: 2009
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds, Matt Bush, Bill Hader

I didn't really know what to make of this when I watched it - and I still don't. It got a really good review in the TV guide I was reading, and from memory got pretty good reviews when it was released as well. And lots of Adventureland is really good - it's a very good observational piece, and captures a lot of issues 17-year-olds face (if I can remember them, that is) really well. Things like the monotony of dull summer jobs, never quite knowing enough about the opposite sex, and thinking you know everything about other things in life.

There are two things I was less keen on. Firstly, nothing much really happens in Adventureland. It's all about a summer in the life of a 17 year old. I guess nothing much necessarily happens in the summer of the life of a 17 year old, so maybe that's OK. It certainly fits the tone of the movie, and could work far less well if there was a convoluted plot.

The other thing that bothered me was Kristen Stewart. She plays the part she's been given perfectly well- but the problem is, it doesn't seem like she's acting. It feels like she's just being herself. The way she portrays the role is just too close to how she is in the Twilight movies, and how she appears in interviews. I found it distracting, even if it is what the role called for.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Ratatouille: Film # 119 of Film 365

2012-01-10T18:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday 7th January 2012

Director: Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Year: 2007
Stars: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofolo (voices)

Ratatouille is another movie that I didn't get a chance to watch on Christmas Day. So when we were looking for a lazy Sunday afternoon movie, this seemed like a good choice.

Thankfully, it lived up to its promise. Ratatouille tells the story of Remy, a rat who loves to cook. Circumstances lead him to Paris, and to what used to be 5 star restaurant, but is slowly losing them and now only has 3 stars.

Ratatouille is a Pixar movie, and lives up to the name. OK, so it's no Toy Story, but it is funny, enjoyable and a great watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Taken: Film #118 of Film 365

2012-01-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

Saturday 7th January 2012

Director: Pierre Morel
Year: 2008
Stars: Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen

In an attempt to break free from the romantic-comedy cycle I seem to be on at the moment, I figured an action/ crime drama might be a good choice. So Taken it was.

Taken is a pretty good example of the type of movie it is. It has an interesting (if entirely implausible) plot, and the lead man (Bryan Mills, played by Neeson) is truly kick-ass. You know he's going to win, but you still want him to. He's got some properly evil guys to fight so it's OK to kill them all.

Taken follows Mills as he tries to track down the Albanian human traffickers who have kidnapped his daughter, and get his daughter back. Mills is an ex-CIA agent, meaning that he's so kick-ass he can take on rooms full of the bad guys, even when they all come at him at the same time. Like I said, implausible. But still a fun watch, as long as you're happy with car/ boat chases, scraps and gun fights.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Rumor Has It: Film #117 of Film 365

2012-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

Friday 6th January 2012

Director: Rob Reiner
Year: 2005
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Kevin Costner, Shirley MacLaine, Mark Ruffalo, Richard Jenkins

I wasn't especially in the mood for a romantic comedy - I've seen a lot of them lately, and would have been happy to watch something in a different genre. But this was somewhere near the top of the list of recorded movies, Dan wasn't home, and I knew it wasn't something he'd miss if I watched it without him.

The premise behind Rumour Has It isn't a bad one - it's relatively unique, if nothing else. Sarah Huttinger (Aniston) discovers that her mother and grandmother are the real-life subjects of the move The Graduate, and goes on a search to discover who her father really is. The problem with the movie is Aniston - or rather, the character she plays. You're clearly meant to sympathise with her, but she's the most obnoxious, brattish woman I've watched in a movie for a while. She makes her fiancée go and get her a copy of The Graduate from the video store just before her sister's wedding, for goodness sake. Then spends the entire wedding moping around instead of being happy for her (relatively lovely, in comparison) sister. And has she not heard of the internet? She only uses the video to check who wrote the book. Really?

At one point in the movie, her (also rather lovely, but something of a sap to put up with her) fiancée basically dumps her. I won't say why, but his reasons are pretty solid. At this point, you're clearly meant to be on Sarah's side. Except all I could think is "good on you, now go and find yourself a decent woman".

I'm not sure if all this means Aniston's a good actress for making me hate the character quite so much, or an awful actress for, well, the same reason. Either way, it made what would have been a perfectly acceptable romantic comedy into something of an annoying one.

Rating: 2 out of 5

I Love You, Man: Film #116 of Film 365

2012-01-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 4th January 2012

Director: John Hamburg
Year: 2009
Stars: Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, Rashida Jones, Jane Curtin, J.K Simmons, Andy Samberg

I wasn't expecting a lot from this. I just wanted a nice easy movie to watch on a quiet, lazy Wednesday evening. Luckily, it was better than I was expecting it to be.

I Love You, Man is all about a man (Rudd) who has just got engaged, but doesn't have any real male friends. So in order to find one who will make a suitable best man, he starts going on lots of "man-dates".

I don't really know what the message is meant to be here - and it really felt like there was supposed to be one. I think it was that every man needs a buddy, which feels to me like one of those very shallow Hollywood concepts. Yes, we all need friends, but I don't see why it can't be somebody of the opposite sex.

Either way, the fact that the message was lost on me (or ignored by me, depending upon your point of view) didn't detract from the fact that I still thought the film was pretty funny. And I was laughing in all the right places, not the wrong ones (at least, I think I was. Unless I missed the point more than I realised).

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Film #115 of Film 365

2012-01-04T07:20:00.001-08:00

Monday 2nd January 2012

Director: David Fincher
Year: 2011
Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgard, Robin Wright, Joely Richardson

Having previously watched the Swedish version of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and found it rather dull, I was a little sceptical about this Hollywood re-make. However, the trailers were convincing enough to make me think that this version could be a little faster paced.

The Hollywood version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, like the Swedish film, remains relatively faithful to the book. The movie is still a long one, but somehow doesn't drag its feet in quite the same way. There are still lots of loose ends and sub-plots to tie up, but Fincher manages this is a much more concise way.

It's certainly not going to be my film of the year (or, I certainly hope it won't - if it does, I'll be disappointed with the offerings), but if you've read the book and enjoyed the story, this is worth a watch. It's also one of those rare moments where I prefer the Hollywood remake to the original foreign language version (although I have to admit that I'm still not sure what was going on with those bizarre opening credits).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Dorian Gray: Film #114 of FIlm 365

2012-01-02T09:17:00.000-08:00

Sunday 1st January 2012

Director: Oliver Parker
Year: 2009
Stars: Ben Barnes, Colin Firth, Ben Chaplin

I had wanted to see this when it was originally released, but the less-than-positive reviews put me off a little. The trailer still made it look good though, so I decided to give it a watch when I saw it was premiering on network TV.

Dorian Gray is based on the Oscar Wilde novel The Picture of Dorian Gray, which I have to admit I've never read - so I can't compare it to that. But based purely on what was on the screen, I found it perfectly enjoyable. Having re-read some of the reviews, I can understand some of the criticisms. The final third of the movie is a bit of an attempt at spectacle, and therefore doesn't quite follow the very atmospheric gothic horror that has come before. What appears in the final picture of Dorian Gray is also never going to be as frightening as what you are imagining.

However, as a straight story, it's interesting, different, enjoyable and builds up a great, tense atmosphere. I liked it.

Rating: 4 out of 5

2011 Review

2012-01-02T09:09:00.000-08:00

It's the beginning of another new year, so it's time for my yearly review of the movies I've watched. I'm sticking with a similar format to the one I used for last year's 2010 review. All the films that scored 4.5 stars or more have been listed together, and my top ten decided from that list. Conversely, all the films that scored 2.5 stars or less have been listed together, and my 10 films not to waste your time on have been decided.

Films of the Year:

10. Kidulthood (4.5 stars)
9. The Land of Oblivion (4.5 stars)
8. Pieces of April (4.5 stars)
7. Mary and Max (4.5 stars)
6. We Need to talk about Kevin (4.5 stars)
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (5 stars)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (5 stars)
3. Young Guns (5 stars)
2. Martha Marcy May Marlene (5 stars)

And my Film of the Year:

1. Twilight (5 stars)

If you've been reading my blog, you'll probably have guessed what was going to be number 1 this year. I'm totally aware that it's not going to be everybody's top choice, but I love this movie. You will notice that none of the other Twilight movies make it onto my top ten list however, and I think this is appropriate. I like all the movies, but I love the first one - it just has a quality to it that movies very rarely manage to tap into.

Unlike last year, I'm pretty happy with the movies that have made the top ten list. I don't feel as if anything significant has been ignored, or that I would particularly change my scores for any of the movies listed. The only thing I will say is that Kidulthood is at the bottom of this list because, although I loved it, I find it much harder to remember than all of the other movies listed.

A special mention has to go to Martha Marcy May Marlene as well, as it's the only movie in my top five that I've only seen once. It was that powerful. I'm also really pleased that it was one we saw at the Toronto International Film Festival - in fact, two TIFF movies have made it on to this list. The Land of Oblivion (at no.9) is also the other one - and In Darkness only just got nudged out of the listing as well.

However, one TIFF movie made it on to my Films not to waste your time on...

Film Not To Waste Your Time On:

10. The Hangover Part 2 (2.5 stars)
9. Somers Town (2 stars)
8. William and Kate (2 stars)
7. Novocaine (2 stars)
6. The Accidental Husband (2 stars)
5. Transformers (2 stars)
4. The Red Shoes (2 stars)
3. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (1.5 stars)
2. Forgetting Sarah Marshall (1.5 stars)

And Worst Film of the Year goes to:
1. The Year of the Tiger (0 stars)

The good thing is that I've seen so few truly rubbish movies this year that I had to dive into my 2.5 star reviews to get a list of ten movies. There were quite a lot of "OK, not very memorable" 2.5 star movies, but The Hangover Part 2 has the dubious honour of being the one that made this list because, well, its The Hangover again - and not a lot else.

I know some of these choices will also be very controversial - I'm talking specifically about The Red Shows and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy here. I'm sorry, but I just did not get either of them. At all.

Worst Film of 2011 is probably one much fewer people are aware of as it's the film we saw at the Toronto International Film Festival that I was referring to above. As far as I'm aware it hasn't yet received a general release, which makes the viewing public a rather lucky bunch. It is just so boring - and managed, just like Synecdoche, New York (sorry film critics) to score 0 stars.

In summary:
Film of the Year 2011: Twilight
Worst Film of the Year 2011: The Year of the Tiger

December 2011 films

2012-01-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I seem to have made a start on watching that big pile of movies I keep meaning to make a start on. Having 11 days off of work and not having much planned in them (except for a few days in Exeter over Christmas) probably helped a lot here. Not sure I can keep it up in the next few months, but you never know... this month's list is below:

The Holiday (2006) - 4 stars
Son of Rambow (2007) - 3.5 stars
Confessions of a Shopaholic (2009) - 4 stars
The Accidental Husband (2008) - 2 stars
Hairspray (2007) - 4 stars
Tropic Thunder (2008) - 4 stars
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008) - 2.5 stars
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) - 4 stars
Nativity! (2009) - 3 stars
The Boat that Rocked (2009) - 3 stars
The Young Victoria (2009) - 3 stars
Arthur Christmas (2011) - 4 stars
October Sky (1999) - 3.5 stars
The Christmas Gift (aka The Three Gifts) (2009) - 2.5 stars
Inside Job (2010) - 4 stars
Near Dark (1987) - 4 stars
Pineapple Express (2008) - 3.5 stars
17 Again (2009) - 4 stars

Wow, that makes things hard. I knew I had watched a lot of movies that I'd quite enjoyed this month, but I didn't realise it was quite so many - or that I'd given almost all of them 4 stars. Considering all of the 4 star movies (because nothing scored more than that), Film of the Month has to go to either The Holiday or Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - mostly based on the fact that these are the two movies I'm happiest to watch again numerous times. I think The Holiday might just beat Pirates, as it's proven that I like re-watching it - even when I don't intend to.

Film not to waste your time on is a little easier. Whilst none of the movies were total stinkers, The Accidental Husband really wasn't very good. Whilst Madagascar 2 wasn't great either, it was a perfectly acceptable version of what it wanted to be. The Accidental Husband did what it did badly.

So, considering I've done a little better with the movie-watching, how is Film 365 doing? Well, I still haven't watched a movie a day, but in total I've now watched 113 movies out of 365. That's still only 30%. I should be on 294 movies (80%), and 3 months away from finishing. Oh well.

Film of the Month: The Holiday
Film not to waste your time on: The Accidental Husband

No. of Film 365 watched: 113/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 294/365

Movie photos

2012-01-01T03:00:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed that pictures have started appearing on each post on this blog. The main reason for this is simply that I was starting to get bored with the amount of text - and thought it was time there was something a bit more visual on each post!

So I've picked what I think is the main theme of a movie (even that, of course, is often open to debate), and picked an image that relates to that theme. I intend to use the same image for every movie with a particular theme - so, for example, Christmas movies will always have a picture of a Christmas bauble (see below) attached to them. This should make it easy to see instantly what genre a movie belongs to. Some of the images are pretty obvious (Christmas ones are a good example), but others are a little more subtle. So I've included the images I've already used below, and listed what theme/ genre they relate to. As I add new images, I'll explain what genres they belong to as well. But for now I've got:

Animation

Sci-fi

Romance

Music

Horror

History

Drama

Documentary

Comedy

Christmas

Action adventure

The Holiday: Film #113 of Film 365

2011-12-31T08:25:00.000-08:00

Friday 30th December 2011

Director: Nancy Meyers
Year: 2006
Stars: Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Jack Black, Cameron Diaz

I've seen this before. Back in January 2010, in fact. When I first saw it, I thought it was a pretty standard romantic comedy - as my initial review states. I even started off thinking I wasn't going to enjoy it. Well, things have changed. I've seen bits of it a couple of times since then, and every time I do I end up watching more of it than I mean to. So, when I saw it was on TV again I gave in and decided I was just going to commit to actually watching the whole thing again.

And I'm glad I did. The Holiday has grown on me a lot over the past couple of years, and I'll happily watch it as one of my "Christmas movies" now. I realise I'm probably one of the few people in the world who has grown to love this movie, but I do. And I'm not sorry.

Rating: 4 out of 5

PS Jude Law being in it still helps.

Son of Rambow: Film #112 of Film 365

2011-12-31T08:18:00.000-08:00

Friday 30th December 2011

Director: Garth Jennings
Year: 2007
Stars: Bill Milner, Jessica Hynes, Will Poulter

In an attempt to start watching some of those Christmas DVDs we had been bought, we decided to give Son of Rambow a watch. This is one of the few movies we'd been bought for Christmas that I hadn't seen before, but I had read some very good reviews of it when it was released a few years ago.

Son of Rambow is all about Will Proudfoot and Lee Carter, two boys growing up in the '80s who end up making a film inspired by Rambo.

The movie is well acted and has a lot of enjoyable moments, but somehow just felt like a (really good) movie that you should have randomnly found on TV on a Sunday afternoon, and been really happy about discovering. Not that that should diminish my enjoyment of the movie, but somehow having been told it was really good meant I didn't enjoy it quite as much as I expected to. Or maybe I just wasn't in quite the right mood for it?

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Confessions of a Shopaholic: Film #111 of Film 365

2011-12-30T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday 29th December 2011

Director: P.J. Hogan
Year: 2009
Stars: Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, Krysten Ritter, Joan Cusack, John Goodman, John Lithgow, Kristin Scott Thomas

Now this is more like it. If only The Accidental Husband had taken some of what Confessions of a Shopaholic is on. Still a romantic comedy, but the emphasis here is on comedy as much as romance. And even the shopaholic (thankfully, especially the shopaholic considering she is most definitely the main character) is properly likable. Totally kooky and an obsessive shopaholic, but still very likable - even when she does stupid things.

If you haven't guessed, Confessions of a Shopaholic is all about well, a shopaholic. Rebecca Bloomwood spends a large proportion of the film failing not to spend any money. Of course, this is Hollywood, where greed is bad (at least in the movies, if not when making them), so she suffers for it. And because this is Hollywood things work out OK in the end, but you knew that right? At least it's two hours of fun to get there.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Accidental Husband: Film # 110 of Film 365

2011-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday 29th December 2011

Director: Griffin Dunne
Year: 2008
Stars: Uma Thurman, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Colin Firth

The main reason for choosing to watch this was its length. At just 1 hour and 20 minutes, it was a good excuse not to clean the house for an extra hour or so. Of course, I had originally wanted to see it - it sounded like a good, easy-to-watch romantic comedy.

I was right about it being a romantic comedy. And a relatively easy to watch one at that. However, the word "good" may be taking things a little bit far. The Accidental Husband is nothing if not your average romantic comedy. There's not necessarily anything wrong with that. I know what I'm getting with romantic comedies, and am happy to give them a watch every so often.

The problem with this particular movie is that none of the characters are particularly likable - apart from perhaps the guy who gets ditched. And that's still just Colin Firth doing "romantic comedy Colin Firth". Oh, sorry, did that spoil the plot for you? Really?

Rating: 2 out of 5

Hairspray: Film #109 of Fim 365

2011-12-30T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 28th December 2011

Director: Adam Shankman
Year: 2007
Stars: John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken, Zac Efron, James Marsden, Amanda Bynes, Brittany Snow, Elijah Kelley

I've seen this before. I loved it then, so was more than happy to watch it again. It's just such a cheerful film, with some great songs. The perfect movie to give me a warm, happy feeling inside.

Hairspray is set in Baltimore in the early '60s. Tracy Turnblad is a fat teenager who is really keen to dance on the Corny Collins TV show - but faces prejudice from the show's producer. Whilst Tracy has to contend with prejudice about her size, many of her new found friends are black. This means a lot more prejudice, and a major challenge to try and get her friends a decent TV slot on the same show.

Of course, the ending is too simple and easy for a realistic portrayal of racism and its associated issues - but this is meant to be a fun, happy musical. And it achieves that aim admirably.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tropic Thunder: Film #108 of FIlm 365

2011-12-30T02:00:00.000-08:00

Tuesday 27th December 2011

Director: Ben Stiller
Year: 2008
Stars: Ben Stiller, Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Steve Coogan

This was another movie I'd read good reviews of, but had quite got around to watching. So it seemed a good choice when I saw it was on TV the day we got home from visiting relatives after Christmas.

Tropic Thunder is, if nothing else, a very different movie. It's also very good at laughing at Hollywood (and therefore itself), which made me happy. Tropic Thunder focuses on a Hollywood movie set, and a group of actors who are trying to make a war movie. They're not doing a very good job, so the director decides to take them into the jungle for real. If things weren't already going wrong, they really start to at this point. Except most of the actors don't seem to notice...

This is a movie with what feels like a properly unique idea - or at least I've never seen anything like it before. It was also properly funny. If you're after something different to make you laugh, this is definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa: FIlm #107 of Film 365

2011-12-29T17:00:00.000-08:00

Monday 26th December 2011

Director: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath
Year: 2008
Stars: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett-Smith (voices)

Madagascar 2 was one of those random movies that is on over Christmas that you watch. I was quite happy to watch it, having seen the first Madagascar and quite enjoyed it.

This time, the animals are trying to fly back to New York, but instead end up crashing in Africa - luckily right in the middle of the reserve Alex grew up, meaning he gets to be reunited his parents. Of course, nothing is that simple in a movie and the New York zoo animals end up learning all about how life in Africa is very different from what they're used to.

Just as with the first Madagascar, the penguins are the best things in this. Unfortunately, the first Madagascar beats this movie in every other way. There's nothing particularly wrong with Madagascar 2 - it's just very standard.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides: Film #106 of Film 365

2011-12-29T10:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday 25th December 2011

Director: Rob Marshall
Year: 2011
Stars: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Penelope Cruz, Ian McShane, Kevin McNally

Happy Christmas! On Christmas Day, it turns out that I got hoards of DVDs as presents. This was no bad thing, as they all came off of my Amazon wish list, so I really wanted them all. Now I just have to find time to watch them... admittedly, I have seen most of them before - which is why I was happy to have them on DVD. They're movies I know I will happily watch more than once.

My first chance to watch one came on Christmas Day morning itself, when I ended up having time to settle down to watch the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie. This was mostly thanks to the men in the house, who ended up cooking the Christmas dinner. I originally saw Pirates in the cinema this summer, and was mostly happy with it. However, my original trepidation with the movie remained a little before I started watching the DVD. I had only seen the movie once, and whilst I could remember enjoying it, I couldn't really remember exactly how much.

Well, I think it's fair to say I enjoyed it more second time round. Perhaps I was just in the right mood, perhaps repeated viewings of things you like just generally make them better, but my Christmas morning was improved vastly for having a chance to re-watch Pirates 4.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Nativity!: Film #105 of Film 365

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Friday 23rd December 2011

Director: Debbie Isitt
Year: 2009
Stars: Martin Freeman, Marc Wooton, Jason Watkins, Ashley Jensen, Pam Ferris, Alan Carr

Another Christmas movie that I had vaguely wanted to see when it was released, I hadn't been enthusiastic enough to drag anybody to the cinema to see it. So when it made it to TV, I was keen to give it a try.

Nativity! is exactly what you expect it to be. Paul Maddens (Freeman) is a teacher who has lost any love of Christmas he used to have, because that's when his girlfriend left him. And if you can't guess where Nativity! is going with this, you really have never watched a Christmas movie.

What Nativity! does, it does perfectly well. It just doesn't do anything new, resulting in your average Christmas movie and not really much more than that.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Boat that Rocked: Film # 104 of Film 365

2011-12-29T03:39:00.000-08:00

Friday 23rd December 2011

Director: Richard Curtis
Year: 2009
Stars: Tom Sturridge, Bill Nighy, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Nick Frost, Tom Brooke, Rhys Ifans, Gemma Arterton, Talulah Riley, Emma Thompson, Kenneth Branagh, Jack Davenport

I had wanted to see this since it had been released, so when it was shown on TV and it was recommended to me, I thought I'd give it a try.

The Boat that Rocked is a comedy about the pirate radio boats that floated off the coast of Britain in the '60s - you know, the ones that broadcast rock 'n' roll when traditional radio stations wouldn't.

There's not really a message here - except that rock 'n' roll is good. That doesn't mean it's not a fun movie though, and if you're in the right mood it's very enjoyable. You just have to feel, well, happy.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Young Victoria: Film #103 of Film 365

2011-12-23T18:00:00.000-08:00

Thursday 22nd December 2011

Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Year: 2009
Stars: Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Mark Strong, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent

I had a vague interest in watching this when it got released at the cinema, but I never quite got around to going to see it. The Young Victoria is all about Queen Victoria's early days on the throne, focusing on her coronation, marriage and birth of her first child.

The problem with The Young Victoria is that whilst the elements above make up the plot, they don't really make up much of the film's running time. Victoria's marriage happens in about a minute, and you barely notice her becoming Queen. There are things the film does well - you come away with a proper liking for Prince Albert - but overall it could have been so much more than it is. It has its interesting moments, but it's surprisingly dull for such a short film.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Arthur Christmas: Film #102 of Film 265

2011-12-23T09:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 21st December 2011

Director: Sarah Smith, Barry Cook
Year: 2011
Stars: James McAvoy, Jim Broadbent, Hugh Laurie, Bill Nighy, Imelda Staunton, Ashley Jensen (voices)

As I was in the mood for some Christmas fun, Arthur Christmas seemed like the perfect choice of movie to go and see at the cinema. Clearly I wasn't the only one with that idea four days before Christmas - the theatre was packed. It probably helped that the movie had come recommended by friends who had seen it.

As it turns out, Arthur Christmas probably isn't that special a movie. What it is, though, is a great Christmas movie. Like many movies, you'll know the ending long before it comes - but it isn't really about the ending. Not just that, anyway. It's about the joys of Christmas and the wonder of Santa. If you love Christmas, there's nothing quite like Arthur Christmas to put you in the right mood for it.

A great addition to the Christmas movie canon - it's basically just a big Christmas hug. With a pink twinkly bicycle.

Rating: 4 out of 5

October Sky: Film #101 of Film 365

2011-12-22T16:32:00.000-08:00

Saturday 17th December 2011

Director: Joe Johnston
Year: 1999
Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Chris Cooper, Laura Dern, Chris Owen

This is a movie I knew very little about, and wasn't really expecting to watch. We were at a friend's house and she presented us with a random selection of DVDs to watch. None of them jumped out at me, but none were things I didn't want to watch. So after some trusty "umming" and "ahhing" we went with October Sky.

I didn't realise it until the end of the movie, but October Sky is the true story of Homer Hickham (Gyllenhaal), a boy who wants to send a rocket into space. It's fairly easy to guess where this film is going, but it does it in good old '60s style, and brings to mind other greats about that period - for me, Stand by Me sprang straight to mind.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Christmas Gift: Film #100 of Film 365

2011-12-13T14:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday 11th November 2011

Director: David S. Cass Sr.
Year: 2009
Stars: Dean Cain, Jean Louisa Kelly, Mimi Kennedy, Spencir Bridges, Dylan Sprayberry, Alex Zubarev

Yey, Film #100! Only 265 to go then...

So, in a complete 180 degree turn from Inside Job, I decided Sunday evening was Christmas movie time. And not good Christmas movie time. Smaltzy, sickly, sweet, Hollywood-all-the-way Christmas movie time. The kind where you know what the ending will be in the first five minutes. And you know you're right.

As that sort of Christmas movie goes, The Christmas Gift isn't bad. It has everything you'd want and expect (naughty kids that aren't really at all naughty, big Christmas trees, a relatively good looking leading man...). But you'll only enjoy it if you're in the mood - and don't hate this sort of movie. I was perfectly happy.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

PS The movie is listed on IMDB as The Three Gifts - we weren't watching the 1986 John Denver movie (which I've also never heard of, but hey). The Christmas Gift appears to be an alternative title for this movie that C5 like to use!

Inside Job: Film #99 of Film 365

2011-12-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

Sunday 11th November 2011

Director: Charles Ferguson
Year: 2010
Stars: Matt Damon (narrator)

I'd read very positive reviews of this earlier in the year, and had been intrigued by them at the time. I'll be the first to admit that I don't really understand the banking crisis - I know it's bad, and banks lost lots of money. Thanks to Inside Job, I feel like I know a little bit more now. I'm fully aware that the film won't have been able to explain everything, but what was explained, was explained well.

When I sat down to watch Inside Job part of me thought "I'm really not in the mood for this dry sort of documentary on a Sunday morning". Twenty minutes later, I was totally engrossed and really interested in what Inside Job had to say. The reviews were also bang-on with their comments. One of the best things about Inside Job is that it presents its interviewees in a (relatively) neutral light, and leaves it up to them to tie themselves in knots. Which they frequently do.

It's not light viewing, and it won't make you go away with a positive view of the world, but it is very, very interesting.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Near Dark: Film #98 of FIlm 365

2011-12-13T13:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday 10th December 2011

Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Year: 1987
Stars: Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henrikson, Bill Paxton

I watched Near Dark many years ago, when I was about 15. I remember enjoying it at the time, but not much about what actually happened. So when I discovered it was being shown on TV I was keen to watch it again and remind myself of why I had enjoyed it first time round.

Near Dark is all about Caleb (Pasdar), a man who meets a girl but doesn't realise exactly what she is - until it's too late. It's a pretty traditional take on the vampire movie, but with things that clearly date it to the 1980s. Not that that makes it a bad movie - it's still an enjoyable story, and well paced. I'm less keen on the ending - it just felt a little too Hollywood for me.

I don't have any problems with Near Dark, but having rewatched it, I remember why I enjoyed it all those years ago - but also why it never made my list of most loved movies. The Lost Boys may be far more '80s, far less slick and far less critic-friendly, but it's a lot more fun and the vampires are just so much, well, cooler.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pineapple Express: Film #97 of Film 365

2011-12-06T14:23:00.001-08:00

Sunday 4th December 2011

Director: David Gordon Green
Year: 2008
Stars: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Kevin Corrigan, Craig Robinson, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez

I wasn't sure whether I was going to enjoy this or not, but I thought I would give it a try. I'd heard good things about it, but I was a little bit cautious when the credits came up stating it was a Judd Apatow movie. I've been stung by that before.

There's no denying that Pineapple Express is an odd movie - but for the most part, I quite enjoyed it. Dale Denton (Rogen) witnesses a murder, and he and his mate (Saul Silver, played by Franco) go out of their way not to get caught. The comedy is often dark, but for me that made it funnier. It does have its inane moments, but for the most part it's a fun movie with some laugh-out-loud moments.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

17 Again: Film #96 of Film 365

2011-12-04T09:00:00.000-08:00

Friday 2nd December 2011

Director: Burr Steers
Year: 2009
Stars: Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann, Sterling Knight, Michelle Trachtenberg

I was meant to be doing useful, virtuous things like cleaning. So I collapsed and watched a rom-com instead. And it was great. No, really it was. It was really funny - not something I was really expecting.

17 Again has a fairly simple, overly used concept - a middle-aged man pines for his high school years, so he can get back the life he never had. So along comes his "spirit guide" and gives him his wish. Just like other similar rom-coms, it's about winning the girl - but it's mostly about finding yourself, and how this helps others. No great surprises there then.

What made this enjoyable for me was the fact that the focus was quite strongly on the comedy, with some decent characterisation thrown in. I surprised myself by most enjoying the scenes with Zac Efron too. It's not a masterpiece, but it was fun, relaxing Friday evening viewing.

Rating: 4 out of 5

November 2011 films

2011-12-03T15:56:00.000-08:00

It turns out November has been almost no better than October for watching movies. At least this month I have an excuse - you try looking for and buying a house whilst working full time (and not taking any leave), and see how much time you have left over for watching movies. Anyways, here's the list:

Pale Rider (1985) - 4 stars
Quadrophenia (1979) - 3.5 stars
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011) - 4 stars
Vacancy (2007) - 4 stars
New World (2005) - 3.5 stars
Eclipse (2010) - 3.5 stars
New Moon (2009) - 4 stars
Twilight (2008) - 5 stars
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) - 4.5 stars

And there was me thinking Film of the Month was going to be hard! Admittedly, I've watched a lot of good movies this month - it's really nice to see that none of them scored less than 3.5 stars. But I think that's more important when you watch less movies! And although Twilight is very obviously my favourite movie on this list, I'm excluding it on the basis that it already won film of the month two months ago. It's good - but it's not that good. So Film of the Month goes to We Need to Talk about Kevin, which in my mind is truly deserving - even with all that stiff competition.

Film not to waste your time on is a little harder. There are no obvious stinkers in here at all. But if pushed, I'm going to have to say New World. It's not a bad movie by any means, but for me it's the one that will stay with me for the least amount of time - everything else on the list above is truly quite memorable (and not normally in a bad way), even the other 3.5 star movies.

And what about Film 365? Is there any point in even mentioning it? I've watched 95 movies out of my 365. That's 26%, so I'm a quarter of the way there, but I should be on 263 (72% - nearly three quarters). Sigh.

Film of the Month: We Need to Talk About Kevin
Film not to waste your time on: New World (with the proviso that it really isn't that bad)

No. of Film 365 watched: 95/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 263/365

Pale Rider: Film #95 of Film 365

2011-12-02T07:30:00.000-08:00

Sunday 27th November 2011

Director: Clint Eastwood
Year: 1985
Stars: Clint Eastwood, Michael Moriarty, Carrie Snodgress, Sydney Penny, Chris Penn

I keep telling myself I should watch more Westerns. I really enjoy them, and there are plenty of them on TV - especially with the recent Clint Eastwood season on Channel 5. I had recorded two - A Fistful of Dollars and this, Pale Rider. Dan decided we should go for this as it was a bit more recent - which turned out not to be a bad choice.

It may be a little more recent than many Westerns, but Pale Rider has all the elements of a traditional Western genre movie, and I loved it for it. Bad cowboys who hunt down the good guys, gun fights in a proper old-style Western town, and a mysterious stranger (Preacher - no surprises that this is Eastwood's role).

Like all good Westerns, the story had me waiting to see how the good guys would win (they always win - traditional, remember?), if the mysterious stranger would stay, and exactly how many fights there would be. What I especially liked about Pale Rider was the fact that the mysterious stranger stayed strange - far better than the recent too-often hashed together explanation of a character that makes no sense.

If you like "proper" Westerns, you'll more than likely love this. If you hate them, stay well away. Thankfully, I like them and could watch many more... maybe when I'm retired I can just sit and watch them on daytime TV every afternoon?

Rating: 4 out of 5

Quadrophenia: Film #94 of Film 365

2011-12-01T13:10:00.001-08:00

Sunday 27th November 2011

Director: Franc Roddam
Year: 1979
Stars: Phil Daniels, Leslie Ash, Philip Davis, Sting, Ray Winstone

OK, I admit it, I have never seen Quadrophenia. Which is the reason for me recording it, so that I could! I didn't really know what to expect - I knew it was set in the '60s, and it involved mods and rockers, but not much more than that.

It turns out, that pretty much sums up the plot. There is a central character Jimmy (Daniels), but his life is quite firmly built around the concept of being a mod. Oh, and there's a very young-looking Ray Winstone in it for a bit too. And lots of The Who's music.

I didn't dislike Quadrophenia, so much as was just non-plussed by it. The story is an enjoyable one, but the main problem is that I found it very hard to identify with Jimmy. I was never bored, and always intrigued by what was coming next - but I often found myself wondering what the point of it all was. And it felt like the sort of movie that should have a point - it had just gotten lost somewhere along the way. Or maybe that was the point...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1: Film #93 of Film 365

2011-11-29T12:38:00.001-08:00

Thursday 24th November 2011

Director: Bill Condon
Year: 2011
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, Jasper Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Elizabeth Reaser, Sarah Clarke

It was unlikely that I wasn't going to enjoy this. After all, I knew basically what I was going to get. What I didn't expect was an almost empty cinema. We had decided not to go on a Wednesday evening, fearing it would be very, very busy (it was the first Wednesday Breaking Dawn had been released, and because of the Orange 2-4-1 deal Wednesdays are always busy). So we went on a Thursday evening at 8.30pm, and there were only four of us in the cinema.

The film actually started off a little slowly. There were a lot of long lingering shots of the wedding, and the dress, and the guests... it was clearly aimed at 15 year old girls, but after a while it got really rather dull. Thankfully, the film picked up. I quite enjoyed the honeymoon, but what happens afterwards was the most engaging part. Even Dan admitted that that the last half an hour was really quite enjoyable, and a lot more engaging than the first half.

Whilst I do think Breaking Dawn: Part 1 was a little overlong, I do also understand why they have split the book into two halves. The stories divide up in two very clear separate parts, and to fit them both into one movie would have made it overlong. I just wish this had been an hour and a half rather than two hours long. It will never beat Twilight (there's not a lot that will in my mind), but it was still an enjoyable movie.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Vacancy: Film #92 of Film 365

2011-11-19T16:35:00.001-08:00

Friday 18th November 2011

Director: Nimrod Antal
Year: 2007
Stars: Luke Wilson, Kate Beckinsale, Frank Whaley

I was feeling rather unmotivated on Friday evening, so what better way to spend my time than watching a short, taut little horror movie?

David (Wilson) and Amy (Beckinsale) Fox are a couple who get lost in the middle of nowhere, and end up being talked into staying at a motel before they get their car fixed the next day. Sound familiar? The movie definitely gives nods to Psycho and The Shining...

Vacancy won't surprise any horror fans out there - but that doesn't mean it's a bad movie. It subverts some of the more obvious genre traps, and is short and interesting enough to feel satisfying. If you're already a horror fan it will make a nice change from stupidly obvious slasher movies, and if you're new to horror, it's not a bad place to start.

Rating: 4 out of 5

New World: Film #91 of Film 365

2011-11-14T22:00:00.000-08:00

Sunday 13th November 2011

Director: Terrence Malick
Year: 2005
Stars: Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christian Bale, Christopher Plummer, August Schellenberg

I was intending upon watching Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs this evening. But after 5 minutes I realised I'd already seen it, and it wasn't that great first time round. So, with a few free hours, we started to watch New World - a movie I recorded some time ago. I have to admit I'm not entirely sure why, as I knew very little about the movie. I was pretty sure it had something to do with the colonisation of America.

I wasn't wrong about that. New World is a drama about Captain Smith (Farrell), an explorer who comes to America in the 1600s with English settlers, an, after spending time with the native Americans, falls in love with Pocahontas (Kilcher).

Anybody familiar with other Malick movies will know pretty much what to expect from this. It's not a bad movie, but it's also not a fast one. As with many Malick movies, much of the focus is on how things look, and using this to set the scene. It doesn't detract from the story, but it's not for you if you enjoy fast-paced action movies.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Twilight, Eclipse and New Moon: Films #88, 89 and 90 of Film 365

2011-11-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Monday 7th November, Wednesday 9th November and Friday 11th November

Directors: Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight), Chris Weitz (New Moon), David Slade (Eclipse)
Years: 2008 (Twilight), 2009 (New Moon), 2010 (Eclipse)
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Peter Facinelli, Ashley Greene, Jasper Rathbone, Nikki Reed, Kellan Lutz, Anna Kendrick, Christian Serratos, Dakota Fanning, Sarah Clarke

As I had a fair few free evenings at home by myself this week, it seemed like a good opportunity to re-watch all the Twilight movies - and it felt especially appropriate what with Breaking Dawn being released next week. I've already blogged about Twilight, New Moon and Eclipse - but I also said that I wanted to watch them again when I was by myself, and see if my reactions were the same. I wouldn't always count films that I've watched twice in quick succession; but watching all three felt like enough of a commitment that I could count the movies towards my 365!

Well, my opinion of the movies hasn't really changed. My favourite movie is still the first Twilight - I love the music, the plot, the dialogue, just everything about it. If anything, it's grown on me with repeated viewings. New Moon is second best, but it can't live up to the simplicity of Twilight. Eclipse has grown on me a little, but it still has its problems. Without having read the book, there are things that would annoy me. I found I was filling in the back story in my head as I went along, and as I was doing this I realised that without that knowledge the film wouldn't make half as much sense to a viewer. So although I might give both New Moon and Eclipse an extra half a star after a second viewing, I think it's fair to stand by my original ratings.

Rating:
Twilight: 5 out of 5
New Moon: 4 out of 5
Eclipse: 3.5 out of 5

We Need to Talk About Kevin: Film #87 of Film 365

2011-11-13T20:00:00.000-08:00

Wednesday 2nd November 2011

Director: Lynne Ramsey
Year: 2011
Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller

Now this is better. Let's hope all of November's movies are like this, and maybe I'll feel motivated to watch more than in the last couple of months. I had wanted to see We Need to Talk about Kevin at the Toronto Film Festival, as that was when it premiered. We did request tickets, but because it was such a big movie and we were unlucky when the box numbers were drawn, we didn't get to see it. So when it got released a couple of months later in the UK, I was very keen to see it. Oddly, it only seemed to be showing at one of the art house cinemas - I thought it would be a bigger movie than that. But I like the Watershed in Bristol, so had no problems with going there to see this.

We Need to Talk About Kevin is adapted from the book by Lionel Shriver. It is all about Eva Katchadorian, the mother of Kevin - a boy who goes on a high school killing spree. Told through flashbacks after the event, the film focuses on Eva's reactions to the event, her feelings of guilt, and how she copes with life after it has all happened.

The movie is incredibly faithful to the book, and portrays the feelings of the characters remarkably well. The book focuses on feelings a lot, so this must have been pretty tough to do. I didn't really feel that the film added much to the book, but it's a powerful story, and I'm not sure much really needed to be added.

If you haven't read the book (or even if you have), this is really worth a watch. Tilda Swinton does an amazing job of making you understand exactly where Eva is coming from, and the entire movie is incredibly thought-provoking; although not exactly an uplifting experience.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

October 2011 films

2011-11-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Oh dear. This is bad. Even worse than September. And it's taken me half a month to get round to writing the monthly review too, so November isn't going to be any better. I can't even tell you what else I've been up to, because I'm really not sure. But clearly not watching movies.

Ah well, here's what I have watched:

The Dark (2005) -2.5 stars
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) - 3 stars
Eclipse (2010) - 3.5 stars
New Moon (2009) - 4 stars
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) - 1.5 stars
Orphan (2009) - 3.5 stars
Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) - 3 stars
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) - 2.5 stars

I guess there's a clue here as to why I've not been overly keen on watching lots of movies this month. Almost everything I've seen has been, well, mediocre. Thinking back, my opinion on all these movies has pretty much remained the same too. October was just a fairly average movie month.

Film of the Month is easy. New Moon wins. And yes, that's probably got a lot to do with the fact that I love the Twilight saga. For many people, New Moon may well be just as average as anything else on this list. But I've already watched it twice, so clearly I like it.

Considering the glut of average movies, Film not to waste your time on is actually pretty easy too. I have massive problems with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. I've spoken to other people who enjoyed it, but I just didn't. There were plot holes that made no sense - although you could say something similar about Eclipse if you've not read the Twilight books I guess. As I said in my review, maybe I just needed to have been alive in the '70s and seen the TV series. But I wasn't, and this film made no sense to me.

And I'm sure you'll be unsurprised to know that my Film 365 project is going, well, awfully. Maybe a week or two off over Christmas can start to put things right? Maybe, but not definitely... anyway, I've watched 86 (23%) of 365 movies. I should be on 233 (64%). Maybe it's just funny now and I should give up. Or call it Project 365x3?

Film of the Month: New Moon
Film not to waste your time on: Tinker Tailor Solider Spy

No. of Film 365 watched: 86/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 233/365

The Dark: Film #86 of Film 365

2011-11-12T08:23:00.000-08:00

Monday 31st October 2011

Director: John Fawcett
Year: 2005
Stars: Maria Bello, Sean Bean, Sophie Stuckey, Abigail Stone

As it was Halloween, watching a horror movie seemed appropriate. We had plenty to choose from (most of them recorded over a year ago), and this seemed to be one of the more interesting things on offer. The Dark is a British movie, set in Wales and playing on Welsh mythology.

In truth, The Dark is more of a psychological thriller than a horror. That's not to say it doesn't have its horrific moments, but it's not really a "jump-in-the-dark" horror movie. The movie starts off well, and seems to have a story to tell. Adelle's (Bello) daughter vanishes, and a child appears in her place. Adelle spends the rest of the movie trying to figure out what has happened to her daughter.

Not all the plot lines take the obvious route, but at times this hinders rather than helps the narrative. The ending is confusing, and a number of plot details were left totally unexplained. I spent some time reading reviews online, and it seems that everybody else was just as confused as I was - or at least in total disagreement about what had actually happened. I wander if the ending is clear in the director's mind?

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan: Film #85 of Film 365

2011-10-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Sunday 30th October 2011

Director: Larry Charles
Year: 2006
Stars: Sacha Baron Cohen, Ken Davitian

I wasn't entirely sure whether I was going to enjoy this or not. I've heard a lot about it, and I got the impression I probably wouldn't be offended - but might not find it particularly funny either.

Well, I was right about not being offended - it's impossible to take offence when everybody in a movie becomes a stereotype, whether they are a Christian, a student, rich, or a rodeo member (I could go on....). It just makes it ridiculous, and therefore funny.

You probably don't need to know much about the plot. Borat, a Kazakh TV talking head, goes to the US to learn from the country and report back to Kazakhstan. You can probably guess the rest...

The comedy isn't terrible - there are definitely some humorous moments in here. But I also can't say I found it laugh-out-loud hilarious. Not something to watch with your mum, but not something to avoid at all costs either.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Eclipse: Film #84 of Film 365

2011-10-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Friday 28th October 2011

Director: David Slade
Year: 2010
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, Jasper Rathbone, Peter Facinelli, Dakota Fanning, Sarah Clarke, Bryce Dallas Howard

Eclipse was never going to beat Twilight - just like New Moon couldn't. When I watched Twilight, everything was new and exciting- and the story worked as a simple love story. Now, I know the plot before I see the film, and things are a lot more complex than at the beginning of Twilight. This is no longer just a love story (although at least that element is still at the heart of the plot). I thought it might have an advantage over New Moon though, as it has content that I thought might just work better on film. And Eclipse definitely does have some very visual elements - the beginning, for example, draws you into the Twilight world immediately, and very effectively.

As with all the other movies in the Twilight saga, Eclipse focuses on the relationships between Bella, Edward and Jacob. This time though there's an extra dimension - an army of newborn vampires are being created in Seattle, and they seem to be after something, or someone, in Forks.

There was just something about Eclipse that didn't feel quite right. I don't really know what that thing is- and it may just be that I was a little tired when I was watching, or that I was watching it with the wrong person. There were constant grumblings from that person about how things didn't make sense or quite add up. I can't say I felt this way myself, so I think Eclipse may need another viewing when I'm fully awake, by myself and can enjoy it in peace!

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

New Moon: Film #83 of Film 365

2011-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

Friday 21st October

Director: Chris Weitz
Year: 2009
Stars: Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Michael Sheen, Dakota Fanning

After my Twilight post, you'll probably have guessed I was rather keen to see the next two movies in the saga (and the Breaking Dawn movies of course, but I'm going to have to wait for them...). After a ridiculously long wait (and it actually was long - not just "I really can't wait for this so it seems long"), the Twilight saga blu rays made it through my letterbox on Friday morning. So guess what my Friday evening involved? In fairness, I only watched New Moon - it didn't seem fair on Dan to inflict that and Eclipse on him in one go...

For those of you who don't know the story, read the book. And for those of you who don't want to read the book, I'm sure you don't care enough about what the story is anyway. It involves humans, and vampires, and werewolves. It's like an Americanised, PG-13, version of Being Human with more teen angst (note: Being Human fans may well hate Twilight. They may not. I love both).

In fairness, I didn't enjoy New Moon as much as Twilight. Like the book, it's harder to love initially. But the book has grown on me a lot, and I think the film will too. I still enjoyed it enough to willingly give it repeated viewings. I also think that part of the reason I didn't love the film initially is that Twilight was new, and very exciting. I've now read all the books and know I love the Twilight saga. You're far less likely to enjoy (or want to watch) New Moon unless you already care.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy: Film #84 of Film 365

2011-10-23T07:00:00.000-07:00

Thursday 20th October 2011

Director: Tomas Alfredson
Year: 2011
Stars: Gary Oldman, John Hurt, Colin Firth, Tom Hardy, Toby Jones, Mark Strong, Benedict Cumberbatch

My initial reaction to Tinker Tailor Solder Spy was "what?!". And I won't take it back. I just don't understand. I don't understand why critics loved it, I don't understand what was going on, I don't understand why so many of the scenes were considered important when they were clearly irrelevant, I don't understand Kathy Bate's accent (Perry from Kevin and Perry anyone? You can't take a character seriously when you're imagining them as a 13 year-old schoolboy with their cap on backwards), I don't understand why I'll never get back those 2 1/2 hours of my life...

The movie had something to do with moles. And a Russian agent who it seemed that you were meant to care who he was, but apparently you weren't. And lots to do with fanatically praising sometimes-good actors about how amazing they are in this movie (that end scene with Gary Oldman? Really? Please).

Maybe I needed to have been alive in the '70s and have seen the original drama. Maybe I need be more intelligent. Maybe I need to like grainy shots more. Maybe I need to have a reverence for Gary Oldman that just isn't there (yes, he can be good. But I want to be watching Harry Potter, not this). But I have none of these things, and I don't want them. Especially not after having to sit through this.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5

Orphan: Film #82 of Film 365

2011-10-22T14:14:00.000-07:00

Thursday 20th October 2011

Director: Jaume Collet-Serra
Year: 2009
Stars: Vera Farmiga, Peter Sarsgaard, Isabelle Fuhrman, Jimmy Bennett, Aryana Engineer

I had wanted to see this for a while, as I had heard good things about it, but it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. It was billed as a horror, but for me it felt more like a psychological thriller. That's not necessarily a bad thing - it's just that the theme was more 'disturbed kid' than 'scary kid'.

The basic premise of Orphan is that Kate and John Coleman lose a child, so decide to adopt Esther - a kid they find in an orphanage who seems pretty sweet - at least in their eyes. Really, she's just kind of creepy.

Orphan is actually a pretty enjoyable movie, as long as you don't start watching it with false expectations. If you want a scary jump-out-your-seat horror movie, this isn't for you. If you want something more psychological, then you'll likely enjoy it.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian: Film #81 of Film 365

2011-10-18T14:06:00.000-07:00

Sunday 16th October

Director: Shawn Levy
Year: 2009
Stars: Ben Stiller, Amy Adams, Owen Wilson, Hank Azaria, Steve Coogan, Christopher Guest, Alain Chabat, Bill Hader, Ricky Gervais, Robin Williams, Jon Bernthal

Dan couldn't understand why I wanted to watch this - especially when Toy Story was half way through on the other side. But I had watched the first Night at the Museum, and quite enjoyed it. And much as I love Toy Story, I've seen it a lot.

Night at the Museum 2 is more of the same. This time, the museum exhibits are being moved into storage at the Smithsonian in Washington, but they still come to life. It's up to Larry Daley (Stiller) to save them - even though he's now a famous, successful businessman, rather than a night guard at the museum.

I was just as happy watching Night at the Museum 2 as I was watching Night at the Museum. I knew what I was getting - silly, happy fun that didn't take itself too seriously - and I was happy with it.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: Film #80 of Film 365

2011-10-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Sunday 9th October 2011

Director: Michael Bay
Year: 2009
Stars: Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson

You might think that after my review of Transformers, I'd avoid the second movie. Apparently not. I have to admit I wasn't really expecting a lot from it, but it seemed like an easy choice on a Sunday evening.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen definitely wasn't the disappointment the first Transformers was. A lot of this, I'm sure, has to do with my much lower expectations, but the other reason is that this movie simply doesn't take itself as seriously as the first one. It knows what it is and what people want it to be - a movie with cool cars that turn into robots, where lots of stuff gets blown up. It has that in abundance, so if it's what you're looking for you'll be perfectly happy.

The one criticism I can level at it is that it's just too long. However convoluted you make your story, and however many plot strands you bring in, you do not need three hours to blow stuff up. Two is more than enough.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

September 2011 films

2011-10-11T10:19:00.000-07:00

OK, so this is bad. It's taken me 11 days to get around to writing my monthly film review. You might think I'd been using some of that time to watch movies, trying to catch up with the massive lack of 365 movies that I (haven't) watched. But no. I've been to Canada, I've been working hard to catch up with actual work, and I've even been watching comfort movies (ones I've seen lots and love - I didn't think there was much need for me to count, or blog about, Twilight or Sweeney Todd again...). But watching new movies that would count towards my 365? Not a chance.

Although, having taken a look at the movies I did watch in September (mostly before that holiday to Canada got in the way), I was surprised to see it was so many. The beginning of September seems like a very long time ago! So, my full list for September is as follows:

American Gangster (2007) - 2.5 stars
Megamind (2010) - 4 stars
In Darkness (2011) - 4.5 stars
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) - 5 stars
The Year of the Tiger (2011) - 0 stars
A Monster in Paris (2011) - 3.5 stars
The Land of Oblivion (2011) - 4.5 stars
Never Let Me Go (2010) - 3.5 stars
Red Riding Hood (2011) - 3 stars
Four Lions (2010) - 2.5 stars
Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! (2004) - 3.5 stars
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009) - 2.5 stars

So that's a total of 12 movies out of a possible 30. Less than half, again. But considering we were on holiday for two weeks I guess things could have been a lot worse.

There are a lot of pretty average movies in here, although happily none were so mediocre that I have forgotten them already. But perhaps it comes as no surprise that my Film of the Month, and my Film not to waste your time on, were both part of the Toronto International Film Festival. I just have to mention at this point that the Film Festival was a definite highlight, not just of the month or year, but of my movie-watching life. To be surrounded by so many film lovers - and films!-, in a place with such a great atmosphere was fantastic. And to get to hear the directors talk about their movies was really enlightening. It's definitely an experience I'd be willing to repeat, and I have some amazing memories.

That said, my Film not to waste your time on was still a festival film. I guess when you see five movies in three days you're probably not going to win them all. The Year of the Tiger has to be one of the most disappointing, dull films I've seen in some time. Nothing really happens (bar two scenes). I don't think it helps that I felt I had been lied to when reading the plot synopsis before picking the movie - what it said happens really, really didn't. It just made me even angrier when watching the movie.

I saw my Film of the Month the next day (along with another very good movie indeed), so that cheered me up immensely. Martha Marcy May Marlene is actually about one woman, not four - although there's a very good reason for all those names. The film is enlightening, engaging and made me laugh and cry - often at the same time. It's a clever, honest look at the world of cults and how they affect people - not just those who join them, but those who have to pick up the pieces later.

I'm not sure I really want to think about how (badly) I'm doing with my Film 365 project, but here goes: I've watched 79 of 365 movies. I should be on 202. Oh dear. That's 21% of my 365 movies, whereas I should be on 55%. This project might take a while - and October isn't looking any better...

Film of the Month: Martha Marcy May Marlene
Film not to waste your time on: The Year of the Tiger

No. of Film 365 watched: 79/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 202/365

American Gangster: Film #79 of Film 365

2011-10-09T06:32:00.000-07:00

Saturday 24th September 2011

Director: Ridley Scott
Year: 2007
Stars: Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Josh Brolin

This is the first movie I watched after returning from Canada. It was on TV on Saturday night, and sounded like an intriguing gangster movie, so I thought I'd give it a try.

In American Gangster Denzel Washington plays Frank Lucas, a drug smuggler in 1970s Manhattan. Russell Crowe is Richie Roberts, the honest cop who is trying to catch him. There's nothing really wrong with the (true) story of American Gangster - all the expected elements are there, even if they're not that surprising.

What I had a problem with is the casting. Denzel Washington has played the good guy so many times now that it's almost impossible to see him as the bad guy. And, well, he's just not that good at making it convincing. Now, if Russell Crowe or Chiwetel Ejiofor had been playing Frank, I would have been much happier. I know Crowe can play mean characters well, and Ejiofor was entirely convincing as Frank's brother. As it was, because I felt Washington had essentially been miscast I found American Gangster quite problematic, as Frank is a big part of the movie.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Megamind: Film #78 of Film 365

2011-10-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

Friday 23rd September 2011

Director: Tom McGrath
Year: 2010
Stars: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross, Ben Stiller (voices)

In Darkness was the end of the Toronto Film Festival for us. After that, we had a couple of movie-free weeks travelling around Canada before heading home. So the next time I saw a movie was on the flight on the way back to the UK.

Megamind wasn't really a movie I was desperate to see. I was happy to watch it as a distraction, but the fact that the lead character was voiced by Will Ferrell really did put me off. I'm not a big fan of his other work (to put it mildly), but I had been told that Megamind wasn't really a "Will Ferrell" movie by friends who had seen it.

As it happens, I'm really glad I gave it a try. Megamind is a fun, sweet little movie where you really do end up rooting for the bad guy (it's OK, you're meant to). Megamind is all about Metro Man's evil nemesis - in this case, the title character Megamind. You can probably guess the ending fairly easily, but the journey there is definitely a fun one.

Rating: Rating: 4 out of 5

In Darkness: Film #77 of Film 365

2011-10-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

Sunday 11th September 2011

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Year: 2011
Stars: Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Furmann, Agnieszka, Grochowska

Sadly, this was the last of our five Toronto International Film Festival movies. I could have stayed for another week. But there was more of Canada to see, and we could only afford so many film tickets!

The first exciting thing about In Darkness, for me, was that it was being screened in the Elgin Theatre - the last double decker theatre in the world. It's a truly stunning theatre, and whilst perhaps not really as good as a "proper" cinema for watching movies, it was entirely worth choosing to see a movie there for the environment and atmosphere.

Of course, it also helped that In Darkness is a really rather good movie. In it, Leopold Socha spends the Second World War helping Jews to survive by hiding them in the sewers in Lvov, Poland. At first I was a little concerned that the film might be overlong and drawn out. It did take a while for everybody to be fully characterised, but after 40 minutes or so I was thoroughly engaged in the story and not noticing the time at all. Give it a chance and your patience will be rewarded.

The best thing about In Darkness is that it doesn't treat any of the characters like martyrs. The Jews are normal people, and behave just like you or I would if forced into that situation. You and your family are most important, and you'll fight others for survival. It may not be how you'd like to behave in that circumstance, but I'm willing to admit it's probably how I would act. Even the hero doesn't start out as a hero - he does it all for his own financial gain. Obviously that changes, but nobody here is portrayed as Godlike - just normal people doing their best to deal with an awful situation.

In Darkness is a thoughtful, thought-provoking and (dare I say it) worthy movie, which I can only recommend.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Martha Marcy May Marlene: Film #76 of Film 365

2011-10-05T13:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday 11th September 2011

Director: Sean Durkin
Year: 2011
Stars: Elizabeth Olson, Sarah Paulson, John Hawkes, Hugh Dancy

Now this is more like it. Martha Marcy May Marlene was our fourth Toronto International Film Festival movie, and our first of two on the Sunday (our last day in Toronto before heading on to Montreal).

To say too much about the plot would ruin the movie, so I'll just say that Marcy May is the central character here, and at the beginning of the movie she moves in with her sister and her sister's partner. However, things are never simple and Marcy May turns out to be quite difficult to live with. There's a lot more to it than that, but certainly for me, the less I knew beforehand the better.

The other thing I have to mention is the ending. At first I wasn't sure whether I was really frustrated by it, or I could accept it. It clearly felt like the director had a reason for ending the movie that way (instead of the so-often lazy just not ending a story properly). The problem was, I really didn't understand what the reason was. Now this is perhaps the time I was most pleased I'd come to the film festival. The director was there during the screening, and answered questions from the audience. When asked why he had ended the movie the way he had, he had a really sound reason that made such perfect sense. I ended up liking the film more because of the ending, not less.

A brilliant effort on the part of the actors and the director, and a movie I'd happily recommend - and come and see again with you if you've got nobody to go with.

Rating: 5 out of 5

The Year of the Tiger: Film #75 of Film 365

2011-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10th September 2011

Director: Sebastian Lelio
Year: 2011
Stars: Luis Dubo, Sergio Hernandez, Viviana Herrera

So, this was the third of our five Toronto International Film Festival movies, and our Saturday night movie. And it wasn't at all what I was expecting - it was much, much worse.

The film was billed as being about a man who survives the Chilean earthquake and ends up spending the year surviving with a tiger. Well, there was definitely a year - possibly ten. I could feel the minutes of my life ticking away as I watched this, wishing I was anywhere but here. I was on holiday, after all - that's meant to be fun! To say there was a tiger, however (let alone one that dominates the movie) is something of a stretch. There are perhaps two scenes with a tiger in, neither of which lasted more than a minute at best.

I can only apologise to the friend that we hadn't seen for ages, who came along to see this with us. To her, I'm so terribly sorry. This has to be the slowest, dullest movie I've seen in some time - peppered with the occasional shocking image that made you sit up and think "Oh! I've almost fallen asleep in a cinema! Better pay the movie some attention now then! Yawn..."

Rating: 0 out of 5

A Monster in Paris: Film #74 of Film 365

2011-10-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday 10th September 2011

Director: Bibo Bergeron
Year: 2011
Stars: Adam Goldberg, Catherine O'Hara, Danny Huston, Vanessa Paradis (voices)

This was the second of our five Toronto International Film Festival movies. It was a Saturday afternoon movie, and billed as a children's movie. I'm not sure I'd agreed with that - it didn't really feel like it was aimed at children.

A Monster in Paris is all about a monster that gets created when some perfumes accidentally get added together. He's huge and scary-looking, so everybody hates him. As with all good monsters though, it turns out he might not be as bad as everybody thinks...

The story here is actually fairly simplistic, but the music is beautiful. The animation is also pretty good, although the people I went with seemed to enjoy this more than me. I didn't really think the animation did Paris justice - but then, I'm not sure there's anything I think could do Paris justice, so maybe that's an unfair opinion to have. I had the songs running around in my head for hours afterwards though, and would happily watch it again just to listen to the singing.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Land of Oblivion: Film #73 of Film 365

2011-09-29T14:25:00.000-07:00

Friday 9th September 2011

Director: Michale Boganim
Year: 2011
Stars: Olga Kurylenko, Andrjez Chrya, Vyacheslav Slanko, Ilya Iosifov, Sergei Strelnikov

So, we're finally on to official Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) movies. The Friday evening showing of The Land of Oblivion was the first of the five we watched.

The Land of Oblivion is a movie about the Chernobyl disaster - starting just before the disaster struck, and following the characters who suffered through it, whether they chose to stay or leave. The lynchpin of the movie is Anya (Kurylenko), who got married on the day of the disaster. She now works as a tourist guide, showing people around her now-abandoned town of Pripyat, which was very close to the nuclear power station. Whilst she desperately wants to leave the city, she also finds it impossible to pull herself away.

The Land of Oblivion is an incredibly insightful movie with lots of dilemmas and juxtapositions like this scattered throughout it. The decision to use a range of characters really helps you understand why these people feel the way they do about Pripyat - it might seem like odd behaviour at first, but by the end of the movie it's all starting to make sense. Of course, the director being there to answer questions at the end of the movie really helped, but I felt like what I had watched had already told me what she was trying to convey with her answers. For me, that can only be a good thing.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Never Let Me Go: Film #72 of Film 365

2011-09-27T14:48:00.000-07:00

Thursday 8th September

Director: Mark Romanek
Year: 2010
Stars: Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Andrew Garfield

This was the second of two movies I watched on the flight to Toronto. Well, I was on the flight for something like eight hours, so I think two movies is acceptable.

This was another movie I had some trepidation about watching. When I'd watched the trailer when the movie was first released I was really keen to go and see Never Let Me Go at the cinema, but somehow never got around to doing so. Since then, however, I've read the book... and it's not as good as I had hoped. The novel keeps hinting at something more, and something more just doesn't emerge.

Happily, the movie doesn't suffer from the same problems. The story is a lot more concise, and instead of hinting, it just tells you what is happening. The ending also sums up, I suspect, the "something more" the book was trying to hint at, making the point very clearly - and in a satisfying way. Don't get me wrong, Never Let Me Go isn't a happy movie - but it does have the rare honour of being a movie I enjoyed more than the book, even when I read the book first.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Red Riding Hood: Film #71 of Film 365

2011-09-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Thursday 8th September 2011

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Year: 2011
Stars: Amanda Seyfried, Gary Oldman, Billy Burke, Shiloh Fernandez, Max Irons, Virgina Madsen, Julie Christie

Unlike most holidays, our trip to Canada involved lots of movies. This was primarily because we went to Toronto for the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and what's a film festival without watching some movies? So there are a fair few movies for me to blog about over the next few days (weeks?), but my first holiday movie was actually one I watched on the plane.

I had wanted to see Red Riding Hood for a while, primarily because the trailer made it look, well, cool - and very stylised, which I tend to like. I had read a few less-than-positive reviews though, so started to watch it with a slight feeling of trepidation. Valerie (Seyfried) is a young girl who lives in a small village that is terrorised by a werewolf. The werewolf isn't the only problem- Valerie has also fallen in love with a woodcutter, but is engaged to somebody much richer.

At first I wasn't sure why this didn't quite work. There's a not-terribly bad story here, and it does indeed look quite stylish. The problem is, there's just not enough plot for an hour and a half movie. It probably would have made a great 45 minute TV episode, but it just felt like it dragged. An achievement for what is, after all, a pretty short movie!

Rating: 3 out of 5

Four Lions: Film #70 of Film 365

2011-09-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday 4th September 2011

Director: Christopher Morris

Year: 2010

Stars: Kayvan Novak, Nigel Lindsay, Riz Ahmed, Adeel Akhtar, Mohammad Aqil

I was confused by this when I was watching it. I'm still confused by it now. I just really don't know what to make of it. I know some people found it really funny, but I guess it's just not my brand of humour. I did find some lines to be laugh-out-loud funny, but not, I suspect, as many as I was supposed to.

Four Lions is all about British Muslims who decide to make a point by devising a terrorist plot. Problem is, they're a bit useless and not very effective. However, everybody else in the movie is also entirely useless, so it's not limited to just these four characters.

I just really, really don't know what I think of this movie. I'm not bothered about watching it again, and I'm not sure I could recommend it. But it was very, very different to anything I've seen before.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!: Film #69 of Film 365

2011-09-06T13:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday 4th September 2011

Director: Robert Luketic

Year: 2004

Stars: Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Topher Grace

I wasn't necessarily expecting a lot from this - I just wanted an easy romantic comedy to watch. I had heard that it wasn't bad though, so did have some hope that it wouldn't be awful.

You won't be surprised by the ending of Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! - but then, you're not really supposed to be. What's nice about this movie is that although you know how it's all going to end, the way it gets there is actually quite surprising - and really rather enjoyable. As the review I was reading said, this is what's meant by a feel-good movie.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: Film #68 of Film 365

2011-09-04T07:45:00.000-07:00

Saturday 3rd September 2011

Director: Niels Arden Oplev
Year: 2009
Stars: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace, Lena Endre, Sven-Bertil Taube

I had wanted to see this for a while, so when I was at a friend's house and it was offered up as one of the choices, I thought it would be a good choice.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a Swedish movie based on the book of the same name, written by Stieg Larsson. I read the book a while ago now, and enjoyed the story. I couldn't really remember a lot of the details though, which was probably a good thing as I could enjoy the movie without knowing exactly what was going to happen.

The problem with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is that it follows the book, at times, too faithfully - making for an overly long, drawn-out story. It didn't really feel long and drawn out when I was reading the book, but the film just went on a bit too long. In contrast to how I normally feel about movie adaptations of books, I really wish they'd left some of the detail out here. For example, when we were two hours in, it felt like the story had ended, and fairly satisfactorily - but there was still another half an hour to go...

On the positive side though, I really appreciated the casting. Unlike what I imagine to be inevitable in the Hollywood remake, the criminal wasn't signposted from the beginning, and the hero wasn't gorgeous. Everybody just looked normal - as they should. Special mention has to go to Noomi Rapace, who placed Lisbeth Salander. She does an amazing job of pitching the character perfectly - she really was exactly as I imagined the character in the book.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

August 2011 films

2011-09-04T04:30:00.000-07:00

This month has been somewhat better than July for movie watching. I still haven't come anywhere close to watching a movie a day, but I have seen 11 in total - that's one every three days or so (35% if you're being pedantic). More importantly, I've actually really enjoyed a lot of these movies. It probably helps that there's a good smattering of Harry Potter in there, which I knew I'd enjoy as I'd seen them all before. The most disappointing thing is probably that ITV didn't show the sixth Harry Potter movie, so I haven't had the chance to rewatch that one (I wasn't expecting to see the seventh instalment, as I realise that was released a bit too recently). Anyway, here's the full list:

Eagle Eye (2008) - 2.5 stars
Exit through the Giftshop (2010) - 4 stars
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) - 3 stars
Together Again for the First Time (2008) - 2.5 stars
The Duchess (2008) - 3 stars
Twilight (2008) - 5 stars
Super 8 (2011) - 2.5 stars
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) - 3.5 stars
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) - 4.5 stars
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) - 3.5 stars
Kidulthood (2006) - 4.5 stars

Film of the Month is so, so easy. I know it's not for everybody, but I loved - and I mean loved - Twilight. I've already rewatched it (I figured blogging about it more than once in a fortnight wasn't really necessary). I'm so glad the final Harry Potter and Twilight weren't both viewed in August, or I'd have found it impossible to make a decision about Film of the Month. This is to take nothing away from Kidulthood or Exit through the Giftshop, which are both also very good - and very different - movies. But if my criteria is what movie would I happily watch again, Twilight was always going to win.

As for Film not to waste your time on, no movie this month has been awful. The two contenders are Together Again for the First Time and Eagle Eye. Both movies do exactly what they say on the tin, so you can't really judge them on that. Eagle Eye, for me, just loses though - because I quite like a Christmas movie (even in August), and because I'm far more likely to remember that movie than a random action movie where nothing particularly memorable happens. Neither movie, though, is by any means the worst one I've seen this year.

As I said, it's been a pretty good month for movies overall, with some awesome films and no true stinkers.

So, how am I doing with my 365 Films? It's not looking good. I've watched 67 of 365 films. I should be on 172. So I've only watched 18% of my 365 movies, when I should have watched nearly half. Let's see if I can do some catching up... so at least I can finish this project in two years!

Film of the Month: Twilight
Film not to waste your time on: Eagle Eye

No. of Film 365 watched: 67/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 172/365

Eagle Eye: Film #67 of Film 365

2011-09-04T04:07:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 31st August 2011

Director: D.J. Caruso
Year: 2008
Stars: Shia LeBeouf, Michelle Monaghan

I still don't really know what to make of this movie. I recorded it a while ago, and couldn't really remember why - or what it was about. I was home alone, and wanted to watch something I knew Dan didn't want to see. As I could remember nothing at all about this movie, I figured it made a good choice.

It's basically your standard action movie. The voice-over man described it as a thriller, but I think I'd have to dispute that. There's a lot of blowing things up, so I guess if you find that thrilling then fair enough. But there's not a lot of complicated plot to follow here. Jerry (LaBeouf) and Rachel (Monaghan) are two strangers who get phone calls from a random woman who forces them to do odd things (like steal a car) using everyday technology. There is a reason for this...

Eagle Eye isn't a bad movie, it's just nothing special. Perfectly acceptable for a Wednesday evening, but I won't remember it in a month's time.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Exit through the gift shop: Film #66 of Film 365

2011-08-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

Sunday 28th August 2011

Director: Banksy
Year: 2010
Stars: Banksy, Thierry Guetta, Shepard Fairey, Debora Guetta

So, this was a very different type of movie to Twilight or Harry Potter - but an interesting one, nevertheless.

Exit through the Giftshop is all about Thierry Guetta, a Frenchman who lives in Los Angeles and has, somehow, become a famous street artist - not that he's ever really done much street art, it seems. Originally meant to be a documentary on Banksy himself (maybe - watch the film and see what you think), Banksy turned this around and made the documentary about Guetta instead. And I'm glad he did. Guetta is definitely an interesting character, but just as interesting for me were the reactions the other street artists had to Guetta.

If you're not a street art fan don't let that put you off - obviously it's an important subject here, but just as important is the human side to this story. And Banksy does a good job of telling it - in a humourous, vaguely sarcastic way which amused me greatly.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: Film #65 of Film 365

2011-08-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

Sunday 28th August 2011

Director: David Yates
Year: 2007
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Imelda Staunton, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams, Robbie Coltrane, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Katie Leung, Matthew Lewis, Gary Oldman, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Evanna Lynch

I have to admit, I couldn't remember much about Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - the book or the film. I remember the book was very long, but that was about it. If I'm honest, I think that may mostly be to do with my feelings towards this particular instalment of Harry Potter. To me, it just feels like a filler between book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and book 6, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince - both of which I enjoyed.

The story starts, as usual, with Harry spending the summer with his aunt, uncle and cousin. Things are instantly a lot less happy than in previous movies, with dementors appearing in the first five minutes. And that dark, unhappy feeling makes up the majority of the rest of the movie - the Ministry of Magic refuse to acknowledge that Voldemort is back, and Dolores Umbridge all but takes over at Hogwarts for the year. I have to admit, Umbridge (played by Imelda Staunton) is a breath of fresh air in an otherwise pretty dull instalment to the franchise. She's a brilliant, horrible character incredibly well played by Staunton. If I hadn't grown to care about the main characters in the past four movies, I'd be cheering Umbridge, with her pink dresses and cats, on. Oh, and one other bonus - we get our first glimpse of Belatrix LeStrange (Bonham Carter) in this movie. She doesn't do much here, but just wait until the last two movies. She's my favourite character of the lot.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Together Again for the First Time: Film #64 of Film 365

2011-08-27T12:22:00.000-07:00

Friday 26th August 2011

Director: Jeff Parkin

Year: 2008

Stars: Julia Duffy, David Ogdfen Stiers, Kirby Heyborne, Blake Bashoff, Kelly Stables, Lauren Storm, Michelle Page, Joey Lawrence, Larisa Oleynik

A Christmas movie in August? Why not? Clearly, Channel 5 thought the same thing because this was only broadcast a couple of weeks ago. In fairness, it's not really as cheery as most Christmas movies, so perhaps isn't what people want to watch in mid December.

Together Again for the First Time is all about a dysfunctional family coming back home to be with their mother and stepdad (or dad and stepmum, depending upon the character), and just trying to get along. As you might expect with any cheesy Christmas movie, everybody hates each other until the final overly sentimental half an hour. But along the way there are sons taking drugs, siblings have full-on arguments and people struggling with their jobs.

There's nothing special here. But then, you have to remember that this was shown on Channel 5 at 3pm on a Friday afternoon. It's a TV movie and as such it's OK, but don't go out of your way to watch it.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

The Duchess: Film #63 of Film 365

2011-08-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Friday 26th August 2011

Director: Saul Dibb
Year: 2008
Stars: Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell

I've seen this before. I didn't realise this until ten minutes into the movie, so it can't have been that memorable. It was enjoyable enough to watch again though, so it also can't be that bad.

The Duchess follows Georgiana as she marries the Duke of Devonshire. She becomes The Duchess of Devonshire, and is loved by the public, but has a loveless marriage.

This could have been a great film, but for some reason it's just OK. That may be to do with the chemistry between the characters - somehow, there just isn't any. There are also a few too many lingering shots of Keira Knightley for my liking. I don't especially dislike her, but it did get a bit tiring after a while. I also hated Ralph Fiennes in this - he just plays such an awful, nasty man. Now, he's meant to be like that, so clearly he acted the part very well, but he is just so dislikeable here.

Not a bad movie, but one that could just have been so much better.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Twilight: Film #62 of Film 365

2011-08-24T14:24:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 24th August 2011

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Year: 2008
Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Anna Kendrick, Christian Serratos, Kellan Lutz, Cam Gigandet

OK, so this might be a bit controversial - but I loved this movie. Maybe it's because I'm just a sucker for a vampire story, or maybe it's just the 15-year-old girl in me showing itself, but I enjoyed this a lot. So much so I had to blog about it straight away, because I was so excited by it! Although I knew basically what the story was about (is there anybody out there who doesn't?), I haven't actually read the books so didn't know the full story. So this was really all quite new to me.

The story follows Bella (Stewart), as she decides to move to Forks, the town where her dad lives. There she meets Edward Cullen (Pattinson). She knows something a bit odd is up, but it takes her a while to figure out what. That's half the joy of the movie - watching her figure it out, and how the characters deal with it while she does, and afterwards. I also have to say that I really enjoyed Pattinson's performance in this. I'd only really seen him in Harry Potter before (as Cedric Diggory), and thought he was perfectly good in that. Here he, of course, plays moody and brooding - but that's exactly what's called for. If I was Bella, I'd probably fall for him too...

Right, I'm off to be excited and happy about finding a movie I really, really enjoyed. And possibly watch it again. Right now. Oh, and added bonus: wait for the soundtrack over the end credits and you get to hear "Leave out all the rest" by Linkin Park.

Rating: 5 out of 5 (and I don't care if that brands me as a 15-yr old Twi-hard, I loved it)

Super 8: Film #61 of Film 365

2011-08-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 17th August 2011

Director: J.J Abrams
Year: 2011
Stars: Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler, Riely Griffiths, Ryan Lee, Gabriel Basso, Zach Mills, Elle Fanning, Ron Eldard

When I first saw a trailer for Super 8, I was really keen to see it. It made the movie look like it had good characters, a decent plot, and plenty of enjoyable scenes. Then I read a couple of reviews. Now, don't get me wrong, the reviews were positive. But they did mention that all the great characterisation that happens in the first half of the movie is lost to bigger, better alien scenes in the second half of the movie.

The reviews aren't wrong, but it's not as depressing as it sounds. Those alien scenes are needed, or this could just have descended into another Lost - good characterisation meaning you actually care about the characters, and then a big fat pile of nothing when you realise there's no decent ending. Thankfully, that doesn't happen here. The second half does include some cheesy scenes, but these don't feel so bad because you really do like, and care about, almost every character in Super 8 (and certainly all the ones you are supposed to).

Rating: 4 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Film #60 of Film 365

2011-08-14T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sunday 14th August 2011

Director: Mike Newell
Stars: 2005
Year: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Brendan Gleeson, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Timothy Spall, Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams, Robbie Coltrane, Robert Pattinson, David Tennant, James Phelps, Oliver Phelps, Stanislav Ianevski, Katie Leung, Matthew Lewis, Frances de la Tour, Predrag Bjelac, Ralph Fiennes

In direct contrast to Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, I like this film a lot less now than I used to. The plot seems a tad contrived and implausible (even for Harry Potter), with a lot of it not really making much sense. It's Harry's fourth year at Hogwarts, and he ends up being entered into the Triwizard tournament - without having asked to be. Yet nobody seems to think this is particularly dangerous...

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was, when I read it, one of my favourite Harry Potter books. At the time I quite enjoyed the story because it was so different - but the thing I really enjoyed was how well J.K. Rowling captured teenage angst. She spent a lot of time doing this - time the film just doesn't really have. There are some lovely moments in the movie that still make me laugh, and remind me very much of being a 15 year old - the scenes at the Yule Ball are an especially good example. But in the book, for example, we spend a lot of time feeling for Harry when the whole school shuns him for having entered the tournament illegally. This is touched upon in the film, but it just doesn't have time to give it the focus the book does.

Still a solid effort from the Harry Potter team, but not one that has withstood the test of time in the way Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban has.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Film #59 of Film 365

2011-08-12T15:12:00.000-07:00

Tuesday 9th August 2011

Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Year: 2004
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, David Thewlis, Gary Oldman, Timothy Spall, Tom Felton, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams, Robbie Coltrane

So, it's taken me a week to watch another movie - and I'm sticking with the Harry Potter theme. At the time, all the reviewers claimed this movie was darker than the ones that had come before. They're not wrong, but then the books start getting darker at this point too, so it hardly comes as a surprise.

I have to say, this particular movie (and story) has grown on me over time. I probably enjoyed this movie a lot more now than the first time I saw it. It's the first of the Harry Potter stories with Sirius Black in it (and after watching Gary Oldman's performance again, yes, it is very good indeed), and the story is very self-consistent with a satisfying ending. The movie is also visually stunning. Cuaron puts in some lovely touches; at times things as simple as a snowdrop look incredibly beautiful.

Perhaps not up there with the final Harry Potter, I did enjoy this massively on a repeated viewing, and for that it gets a pretty high rating.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: Film #58 of Film 365

2011-08-04T14:43:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 3rd August 2011

Director: Chris Columbus
Year: 2002
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Alan Rickman, Kenneth Branagh, Toby Jones (voice), Jason Isaacs, Tom Felton, Julie Walters, Bonnie Wright, Mark Williams, Robbie Coltrane

So, after a break from Harry Potter, I'm back to watching them again. This is only the second movie in the series, so things are still pretty cheery at this point

For the most part, this is a perfectly enjoyable Harry Potter movie. Dobby's a cute house elf, there's a flying Ford Anglia, and Ron still has plenty of comedy lines. And special mention has to go to Kenneth Branagh, who does an amazing job at making you hate him as Gilderoy Lockhart. He may well be my favourite character in this.

My one problem with this movie is its ending. It's just so cheesy - and goes on forever, competing with Lord of the Rings for "just stop already!"-ness. I find it really annoying, because it ruins what could otherwise have been a very fun movie. It made me really hope the following movies would closely resemble the books slightly darker themes...

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Kidulthood: Film #57 of Film 365

2011-08-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Monday 1st August 2011

Director: Menhaj Huda
Year: 2006
Stars: Aml Ameen, Red Madrell, Noel Clarke, Adam Deacon, Jaime Winstone, Femi Oyeniran

So, at least I'm starting the month with a movie! And it is something of a departure from the Harry Potter franchise... I've only really heard good things about Kidulthood, and have wanted to see it for a while. So when BBC3 decided to show this and Adulthood over a couple of days, I really didn't want to miss them. I've not got around to watching Adulthood yet, but after seeing this I'm looking forward to it.

Initially I wasn't sure what to make of Kidulthood, which follows a group of 15 year olds based in West London as they struggle to deal with life. As all the characters were introduced, I thought "I hate all these people - I have no idea how why I would enjoy this because it's clearly impossible to identify with any of them". Well, total kudos to the filmmakers - by the end of the movie I really, really cared about almost all of the characters; even the ones I still didn't like that much! Almost all of them felt redeemable, and victims of circumstance as much as anything else. It's a powerful story with some amazing performances by the cast. If you get a chance, watch this.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

July 2011 films

2011-08-01T08:38:00.000-07:00

OK, I really suck. I've been totally and utterly rubbish at finding time to watch movies this month. There has just always been something else more important to do - annoyingly, it's been mostly work-related. I'm hoping August will be quieter - but then, I'll probably spend it catching up with all the other things I haven't had time to do, so no promises on the movie watching side of things I guess! I've only watched 7 movies (22%) out of a possible 31 - they are:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (3D) (2011) - 5 stars
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) - 4 stars
The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) - 3 stars
No Reservations (2007) - 3 stars
Marley and Me (2008) - 3.5 stars
Beetlejuice (1989) - 4 stars
Transformers (2007) - 2 stars

For the first time ever, a Harry Potter movie wins Film of the Month. But it was very good! Whether or not it stands the test of time like Beetlejuice remains to be seen, but for now I'm happy to say it deserves its place at the top of this month's list.

Film not to waste your time on is pretty easy too. Transformers, whilst getting off to a good start, just got silly and riddled with ridiculously annoying plot holes. If you're capable of turning your brain off completely and enjoying explosions, you'll probably enjoy this. Otherwise avoid this at all costs or you'll regret throwing that brick you feel compelled to hurl towards the TV screen.

None of the other movies I watched this month were especially good or bad - mostly just quite pleasant and enjoyable. Transformers is the only one I remember with true hate.

So, how is my overall number of films looking for Film 365? Not good. I've watched 56 movies out of 365. I should be on 141. Meaning my success rate is getting really low, down to 15%. Oh dear. I have some work to do...

Film of the month: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II
Film not to waste your time on: Transformers

No. of Film 365 films watched: 56/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 141/365

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II (3D): Film #56 of Film 365

2011-07-31T13:54:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 27th July 2011

Director: David Yates
Year: 2011
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Tom Felton, Michael Gambon, Evanna Lynch, Warwick Davies, Helena Bonham Carter, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Bonnie Wright

I'm having a bit of a Harry Potter-themed film-a-thon at the moment, it seems (although there are whole weeks between me watching the movies - I'm not doing at all well with this whole one-a-day thing. Or even one-a-week thing, come to that)!

I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about this movie - the end of franchises often have an excitable feel to them, but they're also often something of a letdown. I have to say though, the final Harry Potter didn't feel like a let-down at all. I really enjoyed the first Harry Potter 7, but I'm happy to say I think this is even better. After watching both of the final movies, I really don't have a problem with them turning it into a two-parter.

During this movie I didn't once feel like things were being included unnecessarily - it rushes along at a ripping pace; exactly what you want from a final, battle-ridden movie. Having said that, it still found time to stop and follow Harry, Ron and Hermione as they figured things out and behaved like, well, 17-year olds. Even the ending, which, just before it began, I thought was unnecessary, won me over (health warning here though: if you haven't read the book, it is cheesy).

Overall, a really satisfying end to an enjoyable series. Now I'm off to watch them all in order (barring the first one, which I saw last week), as ITV are showing one per week.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: Film #55 of Film 365

2011-07-20T15:13:00.000-07:00

Monday 18th July 2011

Director: Chris Columbus
Year: 2001
Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Ian Hart, Alan Rickman

Some days are rubbish. When there's too much work, too much to do, and too many things to worry about, Harry Potter may well be the answer. The first couple of movies, anyway. You know which ones I mean - the cute sweet ones that leave you with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. The perfect option for a Monday night.

I haven't seen the final movie yet (it's on my list...), so watching them in order as they are shown on TV, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone, seemed like a good alternative. Especially on a Monday night when I needed that warm fuzzy cuddle.

By now I'm sure you all know the story... a young boy finds out his parents were actually a witch and wizard, and from there ends up at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he meets his best friends, Ron and Hermione.

There's not a lot else to say - just that sometimes you need that big movie cuddle.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Day the Earth Stood Still: Film # 54 of FIlm 365

2011-07-17T14:37:00.000-07:00

Sunday 16th July 2011

Director: Scott Derrickson
Year: 2008
Stars: Keanu Reeves, Jennifer Connolly, Jaden Smith, Kathy Bates

There are basically no surprises here. I was expecting an action movie with lots of CGI and blowing things up, and that's pretty much what I got. It's a bit of a shame as I think there's probably an interesting movie lurking under here somewhere, but this wasn't the film to explore it properly. This is a remake of a 1951 movie, so perhaps that was the movie to do so?

The Day the Earth Stood Still is all about an alien race (well, one alien in particular) that comes to save Earth - but not necessarily the humans that inhabit it. It's acceptable Sunday-afternoon fare, but unfortunately it has an entirely unsatisfying ending.

Rating: 3 out of 5

No Reservations: Film #53 of Film 365

2011-07-14T12:15:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 13th July 2011

Director: Scott Hicks
Year: 2007
Stars: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Aaron Eckhart, Abigail Breslin, Patricia Clarkson

Here's another movie where I thought I knew exactly what I was getting. It's a romantic comedy where two people (Zeta-Jones and Eckhart) meet, hate each other but are really love, realise they're really love, then end up together happily ever after. Oh, sorry, have I ruined the plot of every romantic Hollywood movie ever for you? Really, you didn't know that was the plot already? Where have you been living?

This time round, there were no surprises. No Reservations does exactly what it says on the tin. Overall, it doesn't do it badly. It does it obviously, but not badly - and there aren't even too many horribly sickly moments. I knew what was going to happen at every turn, but I was OK with that (tip: never be a sister to the lead in a Hollywood movie. Bad things will happen to you). There's nothing surprising here, but if you like romances, nothing particularly annoyingly either.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Marley and Me: Film #52 of Film 365

2011-07-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

Sunday 10th July 2011

Director: David Frankel
Year: 2008
Stars: Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston

I decided to watch this as an easy Sunday evening movie, with the expectation that I knew exactly what I was getting, and would be relatively happy with it. It's about a dog, right? And a couple who fail to bond when they buy a dog (with the dog and each other), then eventually figure it out and end up happily ever after?

Well, not quite. The dog (Marley) is indeed the focus of attention - but the story follows the Grogans (Wilson and Aniston) as they go through life with Marley by their side.

Marley and Me is very much a dog lovers movie, but as long as you don't totally hate dogs there'll probably be something in here you can identify with. To be honest, nothing beyond 'normal' life really happens in this movie - but that doesn't make it bad. Overall, Marley and Me was better than expected.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Beetlejuice: Film #51 of Film 365

2011-07-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

Monday 4th July 2011

Director: Tim Burton
Year:1989
Stars: Alec Baldwin, Geena Davies, Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Catherine O'Hara, Jeffrey Jones, Glenn Shadix

Here's proof Tim Burton has become saner, not gotten odder. This movie is bizarre. Like most people, I've seen it before - but it was some time ago. I remembered it was odd, but not this odd. That's not to say it's a bad movie - it's actually very enjoyable; and kudos to Burton for making a movie with so much surrealism in it and making it a success.

The Maitlands (Baldwin and Davies) are a couple who die, and want to drive out the people who move into their home. Lots of madness ensues (much of it to do with Beetlejuice - Keaton), but that's the basic plot. And it works well. It's a fun watch - if very, very surreal.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Transformers: Film #50 of Film 365

2011-07-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday 3rd July 2011

Director: Michael Bay
Year: 2007
Stars: Shia LeBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson

I'd heard fairly good things about this when it was first released. So, as I'd (intentionally) failed to see it at the cinema, I decided to give it a try when it was shown on TV at the weekend.

Things started out fairly well. All the characters were introduced quickly, but in a way that made it clear who was who. The plot was fairly intriguing, and I was quite enjoying waiting to see people's reactions when they discovered their cars and trucks were really massive robots.

Unfortunately, after about an hour, things went seriously downhill. Sub-plots were introduced that made no sense at all, and I started to get just generally annoyed. Two and a half hours later I was rather bored, and mostly just wanting the whole thing to end. Basically, there was no need at all for hours 1-2, which were entirely nonsensical anyway. At least the final half hour was what it should have been I guess - a final showdown between the autobots and decepticons. Oh, and by the way, Optimus Prime is rubbish - and annoyingly preachy. He was rubbish in the cartoon too. Megatron would always win if those two really got in a fight.

Rating: 2 out of 5 (mostly for managing a decent set-up, if not a decent film)

June 2011 films

2011-07-05T12:32:00.000-07:00

It's been another pretty rubbish movie month for me. But then, I've been busy... there have been zoo trips, anniversaries, award ceremonies, festivals, Bon Jovi concerts, trips to London and Exeter - basically anything and everything that doesn't involve movies! Plus for some reason TV starting get good (or at least, not really bad). So, out of a possible 30 movies I've only watched 10 (33%). In fairness, that's better than May! Below is the list:

Judgment Night (1993) - 4 stars
Sparkle (2007) - 3.5 stars
Bride Wars (2009) - 2.5 stars
The Hangover Part II (2011) - 2.5 stars
Definitely, Maybe (2008) - 4 stars
Taking Lives (2004) - 2.5 stars
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) - 3 stars
Role Models (2008) - 3.5 stars
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) - 5 stars
Pirates of the Caribbean 4: On Stranger Tides (2011) - 4 stars

Film of the Month is so easy. I was always going to say this, but Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl wins. I've loved this movie from the first time I saw it at the cinema, and I'm not tired of re-watching it yet. There are a couple of 4 star movies on the list, but this is the only 5 star one, and even if there were others, it'd probably still win!

Film not to waste your time on is much, much harder. I've watched plenty of 2.5 star mediocre movies this month, but nothing properly bad. If pushed, I'd probably have to say that Bride Wars wins the "honour" of Film not to waste your time on. Taking Lives has many, many flaws, but is watchable. If you haven't seen The Hangover, The Hangover II is worth a watch. But Bride Wars seems to just think girls are mean and have no redeeming features - not if they're getting married, anyway.

Overall, I've watched 49 movies out of my 365. I should be on 110. So my success rate is down to 45%. At this rate, my 365 films may well take me two years...

Film of the month: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Film not to waste your time on: Bride Wars

No. of Film 365 films watched: 49/365
Target no. of Film 365 films to have watched: 110/ 365

Judgment Night: Film #49 of Film 365

2011-07-04T13:05:00.000-07:00

Wednesday 29th June 2011

Director: Stephen Hopkins
Year: 1993
Stars: Emilio Estevez, Cuba Gooding Jr, Stephen Dorff, Jeremy Piven, Dennis Leary

I've seen this before, but it was years ago. I was about 15, and have pretty fond memories of the movie. I think that's mostly because I ended up enjoying watching something I wasn't really expecting to be very good - and it actually wasn't bad.

15 years later, and as Judgment Night appeared on TV, I figured it was time to give it a re-watch. I could remember the basic premise of the movie, but very few of the details. The film follows four men who get lost on their way to a boxing match, and end up getting themselves further and further into trouble with a local gang.

The movie went straight to video in the UK, but I still quite enjoyed it. Part of this may well be to do with my 15-year old memories of it, but it's still a lot better than many movies out there.

Rating: 4 out of 5