Posted on May 7, 2012 in Monthly Movies
The Hunger Games (03 04 2012) – In theatres, see post here.
The Muppets (09 04 2012) – I use to watch “The Muppet Show” as a kid and have seen a couple of the Muppet movies (love a Muppets Christmas Carol) so it was a given to watch this. Additionally, I like Jason Segal’s work in both HIMYM and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. This movie had its moments; I usually like Kermit et al., but of the human cast, one highlight was Chris Cooper. I like him in almost everything. It was light and good to see the muppets again.
The Castle of Cagliostro (13, 15 04 2012) – The original Japanese version with English subtitles. I saw this partially on a road trip. I got it from the library because it was directed by Hayao Miyazaki. Actually, this was his feature film directorial debut. Made in 1979, this film does not boast the best animation, but it’s light hearted, fun and has Miyazaki’s touch of story telling tinged with nostalgia, romance and history.
Posted on April 4, 2012 in Movies
It’s been over a year since I read the books, but I did enjoy them for the most part. They are entertaining and it is definitely a series which I thought would translate on screen especially since the author Suzanne Collins wrote the screenplay and seems to be so involved with the films. I enjoyed the film too, and it is hard to condense such an action packed book into a film even if the film was 2.5 hours.
The casting of Jennifer Lawrence was perfect as I anticipated. I saw her in Winter’s Bone (which I also read). The protagonists of THG and WB are essentially the same: independent, strong young women with younger siblings, unstable mothers, and no father. Lawrence has this ability to be both strong and steely, but also very quickly and naturally, sensitive and vulnerable. I like that she herself looks normal physically without being too skinny. She is one of my favourite young actors. I also liked Lenny Kravitz being cast and few people could have taken on that role.
When the guys were cast, I was more unsure. Peeta was one of my favourite characters in the books so I wasn’t sure about Josh Hutcherson. It wasn’t until recently that I found out he was the kid from Bridge to Terabithia! That and the promotional interviews made his image ascend in my eyes. I thought he did a decent job for what’s written. They even toned down the romance. The guys don’t really get a lot of stuff in this movie. Gale has such a small role up until the third movie and Liam Hemsworth is unremarkable likewise.
The emotional note in the book for me was and the played onscreen as well. I did like how it was an epic movie and that they obviously built and designed so much of the film. I was also impressed with the music. It was effective especially in the action and darker scenes.
All in all, I look forward to the sequel. As a reviewer and someone who reads and watches adaptations, I am lenient on these things. I just want to be entertained and to escape, and this did that for me.
Watched April 3rd, 2012 in theatres. I usually don’t see movies in theatres very much; I average about one of them a year now. Years ago, as a high school student, I would go to see movies in theatres all the time. I would often go alone; I watch movies alone all the time even now. It was a bit addictive back then so I stopped. Everyone was telling me how good The Hunger Games (or my friends who had also read the books liked it) so I decided to go for it on cheap Tuesdays.
Posted on April 1, 2012 in Monthly Movies
The Secret World of Arrietty (12 03 2012) – I watched the British dub version. I love Studio Ghibli movies. I think Hayao Miyazaki is an absolute world treasure. His films always make me feel at ease, comfortable and child like. I know no one other director/ producer / writer that does that. The universes he creates are so marked by his imaginative and beautiful style even when he didn’t direct his film, his writing reflected it. I must admit that I did not love Ponyo as much as his other movies, but this one was wonderful. Very much for children, but I still really adored it. The animation is lovely and you feel you are in that world. It’s a film for children about change and also ever lasting belief. Lovely.
Captain America: The First Avenger (29 03 2012) – A couple of people told me this movie wasn’t bad so I went for it. It’s not as good as Iron Man or Chris Evans doesn’t have quite as much charisma as Chris Hemsworth did in Thor, but it was decent. I watched it with a friend and we made snarky comments the whole way through, but it was a decent action movie. The ending was surprisingly bittersweet. It made me anticipate for The Avengers.
Posted on March 14, 2012 in Monthly Movies
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 (01 02 2012) – What is there to say really; it was fine. I feel the director didn’t take it all too seriously and there was some nice visuals in there actually. I also think that the two leads had even better chemistry than the previous films.
Ladies in Lavender (10 02 2012) – This movie is sweet and sentimental. Not much seems to actually happen, and there are a few too many lingering shots. It’s set in the 1930s and actually, it feels like an old movie too. I liked it for the acting of Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. They carried this film throughout and I really like any movies with a strong current of string music.
Posted on March 10, 2012 in Movies
I really enjoyed this film, and I had a feeling I would because I like silent films and black and white movies. I spent most of my high school years watching old movies and really appreciating them. It has been awhile since I’ve seen a black and white film let alone a silent one. I am glad I caught some of the references, there were definitely allusions to Singing in the Rain, Astaire/Rogers, Charlie Chaplin, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo and much more. I liked the music and the cinematography, but with any silent film, the star is key. Jean Dujardin was perfectly cast; he looks like a silent film star: his face is expressive, debonair, and he has great comic timing.
I did have a small issue with the actress playing Peppy Miller if only because Bérénice Bejo does not look like the kind of girl who would have been famous in that era. There is a distinct look to women of that era either being cherubic and cute (Lillian Gish, Mary Pickford), mysterious vixen (Marlene Dietrich, Louise Brooks) or just plain arresting and distinctive (Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis). I know a lot of people disagree with me on this, but there was something about her that didn’t fit that era. It took me out of the film at times. Maybe it’s because I am so use to watching movies from that era. She was good though, and I think she has expressive eyes. Also the woman who plays Valentin’s wife looked older than him and I checked that is she almost ten years older. I’m not sure what that was suppose to mean if anything. I really liked the other cast such as the adorable Jack Russell that they used. I like how it humanized George’s ego in awhile too. Same with James Cromwell playing Clifton the chauffeur/valet who clearly cared about George.
The romance aspect of this movie was sweet, but I really think most of the film was about George’s journey and the film’s role as a homage to that era of movies more so than the romantic aspect. I really recommend this film because I think it could introduce people to silent and older films. It’s a good film fullstop and very entertaining and touching.
I wrote the above review before watching the Oscars, but I’m really glad the film won, especially for duJardin and direction.
Watched 23 February 2012.
Posted on February 21, 2012 in Monthly Movies
Short reviews of movies or series I haven’t mentioned so far in the month.
Great Expectations (2011) (01 01 2012) – This is technically a TV miniseries, but I often put these in MM especially since I saw this in one big go. I could write a whole post on this new adaptation, but I will sum it up as being dark, creepy, and very faithful to the book. The casting of Anderson and Winston was good, but did not particularly warm up to Pip until third act. I prefer the 1999 BBC film with Gruffudd and Windell for Pip and Estella though this new one had better older actors and more accuracy.
The Lovers (1994) (02 01 2012) – A Hong Kong film starring Charlie Yeung and Nicky Wu. It was really cute the first act with a very sad ending as befits the legend of the Butterfly Lovers. I’m on a Nicky Wu kick lately because of Bu Bu Jing Xin. It was interesting to see him so young in Lovers, but notice he hasn’t really aged very much at all.
Cowboys &Aliens (27 01 2012) – I had a feeling going into this that it wouldn’t be great. I still did it because I like Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford though. These two were the only decent things about this movie. The pacing was off; it was slow and there were too many characters. I barely got a sense of the three main ones. Also, a lot of the movie felt a bit too grave. There was a lack of comic relief or rather, the film seemed to take itself too seriously. I mean, it’s a film about cowboys and aliens! Anyway, anytime watching Daniel Craig is fine by me, but not recommended as an action flick.
The Help (28 01 2012) – I enjoyed the book and overall, I enjoyed the movie. Mostly for two reasons: the acting and the visuals. It was a very good period piece visually and very pretty. I like Emma Stone in anything, but Davis and Spencer carried the movie. Recommended if you like the book.
Posted on February 11, 2012 in Movies
The Transporter ( rewatched 03 01 2012) – This was my third or fourth time seeing this film. I think I love it a bit more every time that I do. I do like action and crime movies, but I am picky about them. There should be some plot, some characterisation, but really I watch these kind of movies to escape. My love for this film is strange in that, I don’t care about the plot or most the characters, and only just the action done by Jason Stratham. The best things about this movie are its car and martial arts sequences. It’s the mix of car chases, hand to hand combat with and without guns (with a small dash of parkour/free running) and explosions that is so typical of French action movies. This was written/produced by Luc Besson and shot in France, but with two directors, one from France. More importantly, the other co-director Corey Yuen is from Hong Kong who specializes in martial arts choregraphy. It takes the best of both worlds and has a star who is more than capable of doing the uncut fight scenes. It is the pacing that it good in this film.
I keep watching Jason Stratham movies to see if he will ever re-achieve what he did in this film, and while he has come close (The Bank Job, The Mechanic, but I haven’t seen Crank yet), I think he is as his most Strathamesque in this film. He is not particularly emotive in this, but then again, he isn’t actually a very good dramatic or romantic actor. I dislike the romantic component in this film because the actors don’t seem to have any chemistry with each other and to be honest, it was tacked on as if to say “We need a sex component to any action film”. Shu Qi is pretty, but not particularly sexy. I know she is considered a bit of a sex symbol in Hong Kong. But I’m not watching this film for her, the romance or its plot about human trafficking. If you watch this film purely for its action, it is very good indeed.
I haven’t seen the sequels, and having heard mixed reviews about, not very interested in doing so. Maybe it’ll marr my strange love for this film by ruining my view of Frank Martin. Roger Ebert and I have similar taste in movies, and I know didn’t like this first film, but liked T2 more.
Posted on November 20, 2008 in Books, Movies
This review will contain spoilers to this book and its adaptations.
Continue reading →
Posted on November 10, 2008 in Movies
Working Girl (01 10 08) – So 80s! I like 80s Harrison Ford; he’s more fun and silly. I think this is one of the only things I’ve seen Melanie Griffth in. Odd. I really needed a girl power movie to inspire me since I can relate to the Tess McGill character somewhat.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (02 10 08) – This was a bit slow to get into, but there are some fun, Almodvaresque moments. I really liked the gazpacho scene at the end. I saw the dub version sadly, but still an okay film. There is a young Antonio Banderas in this movie who wears big 80s glasses.
Dream for an Insomniac (02 10 08) – A 1996 romantic comedy with Ione Skye, Jennifer Aniston, and Sean Astin’s brother Makenzie Astin. Notable things I learned, Ioane Skye really reminds me of Nicole Kidman. They have the same cheekbones and have similar eyes. I also did not know that she is folk singer Donavon’s daughter; that explains the name. This was an okay rom-com. I liked the cafe, but I do not know if I related to any of the characters at all. Ione’s character was much too intense.
Sisterhood of Traveling Pants (04 10 08) – It could have been worse. I liked the Greek scenery. It’s a bit cute if anything.
The Ipress File (06 10 08) – A spy thriller from the 1970s staring Michael Caine. It’s a tad slow moving, set in London, and has rather deadpan Caine wearing black square glasses. When he isn’t, the director likes shots of his nice eyelashes; did they put mascara on him? Since this is a 70s movie, I am inclined to think yes. Unsurprisingly, Caine is a ladies man, and his impassiveness is rather good. I can’t say it’s shot well or badly, but the director was obviously going for intense, dark spy thriller. It’s just a sloth paced thriller and most of the interesting things happen rather late. It is by no means an excellent or rewatchable film, but I liked it just for Caine’s expressions or lackthereof.
Mamma Mia (18 10 08) – The cast is the only reason to watch it. To be honest, I barely paid attention to this and did other things while it was one. It makes no sense plot wise because of Sophie’s age. Amanda Seyfried is cute in it. It isn’t bad, but that much ABBA after awhile can be irksome.
Total: 6
Rewatched Movies:
Paris Je T’aime (02 10 08) – I showed this a friend of mine who hadn’t seen it. We rewatched all but two of the vignettes. I find that most of the ones I liked initially I continued to like. The others did not grow on me. It’s still a good anthology.
Posted on October 17, 2008 in Movies
Aristocrats (02 09 08) – REVIEW
In Bruges (05 09 08) – REVIEW
Thumbsucker (06 09 08) – The cast for this is very interesting and probably the best part of the film. Tilda Swinton downplays her ethereality to be nurse and mother married to L&O: CI’s Vincent D’Onofrio. Vince Vaughn appears as debate teacher who wears big glasses and ugly sweater vests. Benjamin Bratt appears as cokehead TV star and is involved in the nastiest scene of the film. Finally, Keanu Reeves plays an eccentric, sometimes New Age orthodontist (very apt). The plot was alright, and it was sweet not anything spectacular. A likable coming of age story.
The Ladykillers (06 09 08) – Alec Guinness is creepy in this film. He seemed positively vampiric. I don’t know when I’ll get over his crazy teeth and manner. It was a decent plot and acting, but I do not think I really get entertained by these comedies very much, especially since I recently saw In Bruges.
Last Orders (08 09 08) – REVIEW
St. Trinian’s (13 09 08) – I assume I did not hear a lot about this movie because it seems to have gotten mixed reviews. It really was not that bad. Some of the comedy was a little too slapsticky to me I must admit: the humping dog, the pranks, etc. Some people would find Rupert Everett in drag for the whole movie tacky; I ran with it especially since Colin Firth plays opposite. With Russell Brand and the appearance of Stephen Fry. A few others I recognized include Fenella Woolgar, Amara Karan (The Darjeeling Limited), Talulah Riley, new Bond girl Gemme Arterton, and Mischa Barton which was kind of random, but appropriate and tolerable in this circumstance. Back to the Firth thing, it is cheap, but I loved all the meta Pride and Prejudice jokes they put in.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall (14 09 08) – This is actually my first Judd Apatow related movie. While it was not too bad, I’m not running to see any other Apatow related movies soon. I liked Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis in this. Russell Brand stole every scene he was in. Jason Segel’s script and part were not too bad either, but I can really do without seeing his penis so many times in a movie. Okay overall.
The Bank Job (14 09 08) – My sixth British movie of the month! This was another really good one. It’s a clever and well acted heist movie set in the 1970s. I have no idea how true it is, probably not a lot, but the 70s art direction is nice and stuble enough. Refreshing from watching all the heist movies now with high tech gadgets. I’ve liked Jason Statham since I saw the Guy Ritchie films, and this is probably his best work since then. Really good heist movie.
Thank you for smoking (14 09 08) – Finally I saw this after it being in my movie queue for awhile. This was also my third film of the day because I have been knitting sleeves. Aaron Eckhart is very good in this; I hope he lands more good roles like this. Good cast and smart, satirical script.
Sex and the City (18 09 08) – I never followed the show; I’ve seen only a couple of episodes. I saw the extended cut version of the movie; I found the movie overall okay. I will say the best part is the eye candy for the fashion. I wanted half the stuff in the movie. The New York urban porn was nice too; something about snowing in NYC looks really good in film. One can definitely see why it’s like a cult show that they made into a movie; I like how it does explore the dynamic between female friends. Nothing too bad in the acting front really.
Lost in Austen – Fun.
The Family Stone (27 09 08) – This did nothing for me. I did not really feel for any of the characters, and the script just seemed to force all these family poignant moments. I like Rachel McAdams, but her character was annoying. I did not care for the relationship swapping halfway through. All “funny” moments were in the trailer. I guess I like some of the actors; Paul Schneider’s bit part was nice. I seem to watching lots of his films lately.
The Butterfly Effect (28 09 08) – Apparently, the critics hated this movie, but it made a lot of money. I can see how it has a wide appeal because I kind of liked it myself. Mainly due to my fascination with alternate universes, time travel, and chaos theory. The script is not that badly written, and I do like Ashton Kutcher more after seeing this. Not necessarily as a great actor, but the movie makes him look better than he usually does. Callum Keith Rennie even makes an appearance albeit for one scene. I would not watch this movie again though; it just seemed too violent for me. Quentin Tarantino movies are violent, but they are also funny. This movie had no funny moments and was quite sad and creepy for a lot of it. It was intense overall. For a moment towards the end, I thought they were going to go Hollywood and have a trite ending, but respect to the movie makers for having the ending live up to movie’s plot.
Iron Man (30 09 08) – Fun. I have been looking forward to this as I love a good summer blockbuster/ super hero movie. I have had a soft spot for RDJ for years. Someone said that he deserved this role, and honestly, he does. He’s this gem of an actor, and I’m glad he has finally found a vehicle and more opportunities to showcase his awesomeness. I like this cast. I hardly recognized Jeff Bridges in this role, and I like Terence Howard in anything. Coming off of Sliding Doors (below) and the grounded character of Pepper Potts, I did like Paltrow in this role as well. With her Spain travelogue show, I think I have to admit that I like the formerly known as fishstick. Even Paul Bettany’s voice is in this movie. Knowing that a lot of the dialogue was improvised makes me love this film even more. Looking forward to the sequels.
Total: 14.
Rewatched Movies:
Sliding Doors (15 09 08) – There are few movies I like to rewatch, and this is actually the first time I have rewatched this one. It won’t be the last time though; I have been thinking about this movie for awhile now. It came ten years ago; it’s very late 90s. The movie even features Dido’s “Thank you” which is a song that I liked way back then too. I have never been a fan of Gwyneth Paltrow, but this is the only one of her movies that I absolutely love her in. I can’t imagine the film without her, and her faux Britishness seems the most sincere here. I love the concept of this story, and the ending is bitter at first, but then very lovely overall. I hope one day I get chatted up on the tube by a guy like John Hannah’s character. Seriously, how did he go from this to being Brendan Fraser’s sidekick in the Mummy movies? He and Rachel Weisz were the only reasons I saw the first and second Mummy movies; they were pretty fun movies overall too, but even John Hannah can’t make me see the third Mummy movie. I digress though. I think Hannah is seriously underrated as an actor and a leading man as a result of how much I love this film. It’s very London and British, has an unconventional premise, and a really good romance. Now that I finally got a copy, I can be sad, be happy, and hope for a down to earth and funny guy like James.
Posted on September 9, 2008 in Books, Movies
This Booker Prize winning book by Graham Swift tells of four men on a day trip to scatter their friend’s ashes to the sea. The chapters are short and the narratives switches with each chapter. Most are told by Ray, the closest friend of the dead man Jack Dodds. There are numerous flashbacks revealing the lives of all the men and a couple of others in their lives. At first the book reminded me in a slightly of Trainspotting, the writing was colloquial but far more intelligible. They also share the a similar theme of friendship and endurance over time. As I read it, it became much more. The dialogue is quite sharp and well written; Swift has a knack for characterisation. The language and changing perspectives makes it evocative. I sometimes managed to feel the bitterness and the anger that some of the characters do when they narrate. It is very English; all the characters have a working class background and there is something very stylistic and true about the way he writes about their livelihood. If anything, it feels sincere even if real working class Londoners do not all the issues these characters did. I liked the book for the most part, but it got bit depressing the further you went. The flashbacks reveal missed opportunities, unsaid things, wrong choices, bad luck, and estranged relationships. The ending, as with life, is open ended. Not a very uplifting read, but Swift does have a good voice throughout the story.
As with the book, this is not exactly an exciting film, it has a slow languid pace, but is actually decently adapted. I thought the script made the efforts to really weave the plot, narrative switching style and flashbacks really well. As with most British movies, the cast really make it. Michael Caine, Helen Mirren, Bob Hoskins and a few others are in this. I adore Caine and Mirren so it was wonderful seeing them together. Even more delightful was the young versions of their character was played by JJ Feild, another favourite of mine and Kelly Reilly (who was in L’Auberge Espagnole; I still really want to see the sequel to that). Every time I watch a British movie, I play a game of 50 Actors and see what else I’ve seen them in. Anyway, the movie showed the characters in even a better light than in the movie and has a more hopeful tone than even the book. Well adapted.
Posted on September 6, 2008 in Movies
Things I generally like include Irishmen, funny crime plots and characters, on location filming where the place becomes a secondary character, and Ralph Fiennes playing an evil bastard. He wears it well; he’s always disturbingly attractive when being a supreme psycho except when he’s Voldemort. I really liked this movie. It was funny yet had some very decent moments of poignancy, the usual dose of good acting from a British-Irish film (expect nothing less), and a very good script from first time feature director Martin McDonagh. Colin Farrell fit nicely in this flick. I’ve never found him particularly attractive and generally do not watch most of the films he’s in, but he can have pretty entertaining and decent turns in such things as Daredevil and Minority Report. He’s better when he keeps his accent, and sticks to comedy with appropriate amounts of drama. McDonagh is originally a playwright, and at certain points in the film, it does feel rather like a theatre play mostly in terms of characterizations and in the deep moments. One can definitely compare it to Layer Cake or Guy Ritchie films which are also British movies about criminals and feature violence, this one has a more sober note and setting yet still remains hilarious throughout. I look forward to McDonagh’s future films, and hopefully he works with Brendan Gleeson (already their second project), Fiennes, and Farrell again as he knows how to use them.