R.I.P's are in order...

I'm sitting here, taking a break from searching for DVDs I wish to add to my collection, beaming about how sunny it is (usually winter doesn't finish here until January...if we're lucky), but there is some sadness in the year. Yesterday morning, I recieved a tweet from IMDb informing me that Gloria Stuart died at the age of 100. This morning, I recieved another tweet (well, first I read a tweet from Rotten Tomatoes telling me that The Social Network might be a rare 100% 'Certified Fresh' soon, which got me really excited), informing me that Sally Menke, Quentin Tarantino's editor, died at the age of 56. So here are a couple of wee tributes I have for these two.

Gloria Stuart, 1910-2010
Most people, like me, would probably only remember the lovely Gloria from Titanic. Sure, she was in a lot of other movies, as she was one of the girls in the studio system days, like Gold Diggers of 1935, The Invisible Man and Poor Little Rich Girl, but today's more mainstream audience wouldn't remember that. What's most remarkable, however, about Gloria, is that she was a hard working actress in her hey-day, but managed to make it to the amazing age of 100 years old. How many actresses can do that?? And thanks to a role in her late career that everyone saw, Gloria Stuart will be remembered.

Sally Menke, 1953-2010
Everyone knows about the genius of Quentin Tarantino, and how his films always have cleverly cut lengthy scenes. The person behind that rather...intricate task was Sally Menke. Sally started working for Tarantino when he made his debut in Hollywood with Reservoir Dogs, and has edited every single one of his films ever since. There is no doubt that Sally played a huge part in how great a Tarantino movie is, and his films probably won't ever be the same again. The last film she worked on was an indie thriller Peacock, which stars Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon and Cillian Murphy (once again playing a girl). Sally will definitely be missed, especially by us Tarantino fans.

May these two rest in peace, they will definitely be sorely missed.

Going on holiday today!

Hey, me here (obviously). I'm going on holiday today, for just over a week. I'm going to that beautiful place in the picture. The place is Tauranga, and it's really cool there. A little later on we are going to Taupo, with the big lake and mountains. I am so lucky to be living in New Zealand. Unfortunately, the weather won't be as clear as the picture suggests...but New Zealand is paradise, just as the picture suggests. I can't wait to hit the shops, either.

So, if you don't hear from me for a while, you know why. I'm going broke and will probably be watching crappy movies on cable TV. I don't know if I'll blog, but I have a couple of movies to catch up blogging about from last week. Sorry, this blog has come a bit out of it's routine (my fault, I'll admit). Anyway, hope you guys are having a lovely time wherever you are. Me, I'll be having a lovely time until my money runs out=)

Blog ya's all soon...when I can be bothered...

DVD--New York, I Love You

or: This movie, I should have loved you.

One word to sum it up: Whoa.

Film anthologies. A totally new area to me. I mean, I wasn't sure how well New York, I Love You would work, mainly because it seems like another version of Valentine's Day. And really, do we need another multi plot story about love? I guess all could be forgiven because this a sequel to the critically acclaimed Paris, je t'aime. Or could it?

Pretty self explanatory really: this is a series of short films which are intertwined together, forming a portrait of love in New York city. Well, they all have some story which is based on two people who are experiencing or thinking that they are experiencing a situation which has something to do with love.

Anthologies obviously aren't the best type of film. Sure, you get more for your money, but the stories, as well demonstrated in this movie, lack consistency. There isn't much flow in this movie, which lets it down a whole heap. I know the whole point of it is to be an anthology with all these different short films smashed together, but you can kinda tell that they were chopped up and just dumped in an unorganized pile like one you might find on a teacher's desk. Which is a shame, because some of the stories really worked. Others, well, they just didn't.

One story I enjoyed more than all the others was the story which Shia LaBeouf and Julie Christie were in. I don't know if that was because I have this weakness for stories with physically or mentally deformed people, but I just found it really beautiful. And LaBeouf really made the most of his short time on screen, which is more than can be said about some other actors in this (Orlando Bloom, for one example). Another one I enjoyed was the Olivia Thirlby story, which looked like it was going to be another heart warming story, but then it turned out to be quite funny. These stories practically saved the movie from being the muddled mess that it was, and served as the shining lights in an otherwise strange and dull movie. The short films really should have offered more, but like most love stories, they were all cliched and stereotypical. I still really wanna go to New York, though.


THE VERDICT: A lack of consistency lets this movie down, big time. But it has it's moments, and those moments really shine.

5/10

Rewatch--Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging

or: The movie with the worst title ever.

One word to sum it up: Ahhhhhhhh (not a word, in fact, that only really sums up Aaron Johnson)

Here in New Zealand, the 'Georgia Nicholson' book series by Louise Rennison are pretty much more popular than the Twilight saga. And fair enough too, at least these books are intentionally funny. It was always going to be a hard task adapting two of the books (or, as I like to see them as, a teenage girls bible) into a movie. Welcome to one of the most truthful and the easiest to relate to teen movie a teenage girl could ever see.

Georgia Nicholson (Georgia Groome) is just an average teenager living in a small town in England. She has her best friends there for her whenever she needs them, just as any average teenager would. Her Dad is moving to New Zealand, so she has her mum there too. Georgia's life turns around when she meets Robbie (Aaron Johnson), a 'Sex-God' who has moved from London, and Georgia instantly falls in love with him. She has to try everything to get him to like her, even if that means that she loses some things close to her in the process.

Even though this movie might seem a little weird to those who aren't 'in the know' with the source material, it's actually genuinely funny, just like Mean Girls was. Georgia Nicholson is the perfect teenage herione, who the younger audience can both relate to but find hopelessly funny at the same time. It's so great that they found Georgia Groome to play her, as she makes a convincing performance and really brings life to the character. Though it isn't the bible just like the books, it's still a worthy movie that has no trouble in keeping your attention for 100 minutes.

The movie is filled with a particularly unknown British cast, but luckily doesn't come across quite as annoying as the cast of St. Trinians. Georgia Groome lead the pack, and it really just felt like a polished documentary on a teenagers life. I can't go through a review without mentioning the gorgeousness of Aaron Johnson. I see why he was a Sex-God. Even if he was a little wooden in some places, how could you not fall in love with this guy? Hmmmmmmmmm?



THE VERDICT: Really good for the teen crowd, as for once the film doesn't alienate us teenage girls. Georgia Nicholson is my new hero, and a hero for all us misunderstood young people.

7/10

DVD--Robin Hood

or: Russell and Ridley make Men in Tights...just without the men in tights.

One word to sum it up: Yawn

Robin Hood should have been great. It had everything going for it. Russell Crowe and Ridley Scott were teaming up for the millionth time, but this time tackling an age old story of the msot famous outlaw. Cate Blanchett as Marion. Where did it all go wrong? Batman Begins was the right title for a prequel on Batman, but Robin Hood isn't a good title for a prequel on Robin Hood. That is because throughout most of the movie his name is Robin Longstride and he isn't actually declared an outlaw until the very end of the movie.

This is the untold story of the man behind the legend as Robin (Russell Crowe), a heroic warrior, turns outlaw when he assembles a band of skilled marauders to confront injustice and lead an uprising against the weak and corrupt English King. When the rebellious hero falls for free spirited Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett), he must first save her village and then confront a growing storm of threats from near and afar if he is to win her heart. As Robin and his men answer a call to ever-greater adventure, these unlikely heroes set off to battle for their country and return England to glory—and ride into the legend.

Like most movies, Robin Hood has it's stunning points. It is done in a way which is true to the period, and almost has that Gladiator sort of feel to it, which is what to be expected of Ridley Scott. Towards the end, the film really gained momentum and shone like an epic movie should. Unfortunately, it was a shame that the first one and a half hours (give or take) was actually really boring. Like, nothing happened, apart from a few action sequences placed here and there. I don't even think me paying attention any more than I was would have stopped me from finding it boring. Obviously, the story before the story of Robin Hood wasn't going to be that interesting, but at least it could have tried. I kinda felt like I had to have lived in the 13th century to get any of it.

Russell Crowe makes a convincing Robin, even though he is a little too old for the role and I still felt like this was a rehash of his much better Gladiator performance. When you take a look at Russell and Ridley's working collaborations, there is only one that stands out as a particularly good film: Gladiator. Look at A Good Year and Body of Lies, neither of these films fared very well, and their only saving grace was the star and the director. It's time the pair made a better movie, because they still do have a lot of potential. Thank God Cate Blanchett came along for the ride, too. She was marvellous, as always, in her role, but her performance, too, felt like a rehash of a much better The Aviator. If anything, the stars will get you through, just.

It's trying hard to be the epic film which we haven't seen in a while, but maybe today's audience isn't looking for a medieval romp. Maybe we aren't looking for the back story on a character which we have already seen a film on countless numbers of times. To be honest, I would rather have seen a remake of the actual story on Robin Hood, not Robin Longstride. The film really doesn't have much going for it until the last hour, and even then, you may find yourself constantly checking the time and wondering how much further you have to go.



THE VERDICT: Should have been better. Could have been better. Would have been better. So what went wrong?

5/10

DVD--Hot Tub Time Machine

or: The Hangover...Sci-Fi styles

One word to sum it up: Different

Despite the fact that Hot Tub Time Machine looked like just another gross-out comedy, I still really wanted to see it. Maybe because I have this sort of thing for John Cusack. Okay, I really do like gross-out comedies, so of course I would want to see Hot Tub Time Machine. And it was one of the first comedies to be rated over 50% on Rotten Tomatoes this year...

Three friends on losing streaks: Adam (John Cusack), whose girlfriend dumped him, Nick (Craig Robinson), with a dead-end job and a cheating wife, and Lou (Rob Corddry), a suicidal alcoholic. To help Lou recover from car-exhaust poisoning, Adam and Nick, with Adam's nephew Jacob (Clark Duke), go to a winter resort that was their old party place. It's now a dump, but the lads rally for a night of drinking in the hot tub. Somehow, the hot tub takes them back to 1986, on a fateful night for each of them. Maybe if they do everything the same way they did that night, they'll get back to the future so Jacob can be born. There are serious temptations to do things differently. Will they make it back to their sorry lives? And what about Jacob?

Hot Tub Time Machine passes as a lesser version of The Hangover, but manages to take on a similar plot to The Butterfly Effect (which is referenced in the movie, by the way), and succeeds. To be honest, the 'psychological mind-flip comedy' probably shouldn't eventuate into an actual genre, because this film didn't exactly perfect it. However, the out come of it was charmingly funny and overall, a pretty good comedy. Those who long for the days of the 80s to come back, Hot Tub Time Machine is a perfect film to do some reminiscing with. It has every 80s reference in the book, including the fashion that I have come to fear in my lifetime. For once, the 80s look as cool as they did in Back to the Future.

Like The Hangover, this is the ultimate male bonding flick, as these already-friends became closer as the movie got on. It does lean a little too close to being a bit inappropriate, and the use of women is what is to be expected in a comedy of it's stature. The cast are a little different, but they all play the same admirable douchebags we have seen a few times before. John Cusack looks a little too weary in the film, probably a little tired from saving the world in 2012, but serves as a good lead and makes the most of an unlikeable character. The rest of the cast are inappropriately funny but manage to get the real belly laughs out, especially Rob Corddry, who's aggressiveness is just, well, funny.

The title is real silly, and the film matches that promise. It's silly, but it still manages to be a smart-ish comedy. I mean, it has this amazing message, which I can't help but feel defines our generation: If we went back in time, we would literally die without technology. Yeah, and some say comedies don't mean anything.


THE VERDICT: Pretty much a silly, but funny comedy, that won't fail to make your stomach hurt from all the laughing at some stage. It doesn't quite make it up there with The Hangover, but it is 2010's closest answer to it.

7/10

The Dark Knight was on TV last night...

...and even though I own it on DVD, and just watched it again like a couple off weeks ago, I still wanted to watch it. There's something so cool about watching a movie you love on TV...I mean, I literally watch any movie I love when it's on TV. Sure, the ad breaks get a little annoying, but I got over that. I was kinda surprised at how quick they got The Dark Knight on free-to-air, but it was cool because they had Batman Begins on last week. And, as I am probably the countries biggest Chris Nolan fan, of course, I had to watch his movies when they're on TV. Yeah...I know I have no life. But, I seriously looked forward to this all week.

This is a cool picture, it's like the picture of genius-ness...

There isn't really any point to this ramble. Okay, well, there's a couple of things I should say:
-I love The Dark Knight.
-It's my favouritest movie of all-time.

Now you know that, I'm sure you can get on with your day.

Oh, and by the way, A MOVIE A DAY is back for this week. Les Miserables is over (*sob sob*), and I have now the time to watch a full movie every night as opposed to one episode of True Blood. A MOVIE A DAY was originally set to finish on 30th September, which happens to be next Thursday. We must add on a week for which I missed due to Les Mis. But hey, I'm in a good mood, and I'm going to extend A MOVIE A DAY until the end of October. But there's a catch: I'm going away on holiday next week, so I'm not sure if I'll have enough time/movies to watch to do a movie a day for a week. So I'll still be watching a movie a day this week, but not next week. I'm taking a break from everything.

Sorry to break your heart, but you know...this hasn't been the easiest of terms at school, and I'll probably be hitting the shops for most of the week.

So, there you have it. A short story on my life at the moment. How's yours?

DVD--Nowhere Boy

or: How John Lennon became John Lennon.

One word to sum it up: Insightful.

Usually, I wouldn't be interested in a biopic on John Lennon. I mean, we learnt a bit about The Beatles in Music class, but I wasn't really that interested. However, I thought Nowhere Boy looked like a good time, as it had been getting some rave reviews. And I guess the fact that Aaron Johnson was in the lead role and had been getting critical applause for it aided in my decision to watch it. John Lennon's story actually looked pretty interesting.

This is the story of a teenage John Lennon (Aaron Johnson), who has been living his life under his strict Aunt Mimi's (Kristin Scott Thomas) care. But Lennon wants to know where his real parents are, and ends up finding his free-wheeling mother Julia (Anne-Marie Duff), who introduces him to a world of fun and music, much to Aunt Mimi's dismay. Lennon starts up a band called The Quarrymen with a few of his friends, and catches the eye of Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster), who joins the band on their journey to becoming The Beatles.

If you were expecting a real musical insight, then you will be sorely disappointed. However, this film is definitely quite interesting, whether it's about John Lennon or not. It's kind of a funny story, which I really didn't believe was true, let alone believe that it was the early life of one of the world's biggest icons. It sometimes comes across as a pretty standard British biopic, but it has so much elevating it from that kind of status. First is the remarkably artsy direction from first time director Sam Taylor-Wood (who, yes, happens to be 20-year-old Aaron Johnson's 43-year-old fiancee). Then comes the groundbreaking performances from a charming ensemble cast.

Aaron Johnson is perfectly cast as Lennon, and really makes the whole film worthwhile. He has studied every aspect of Lennon's character and is more believable than he should be, considering his two most recognized roles are that of a Sex-God in Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and a nerd trying to fight crime in comic book movie Kick-Ass. Nowhere Boy proves that Johnson is much more than his teen-idol status allows him to be, and he will be the next big Oscar winner in the future. He is joined by two well-experienced actresses who give commanding performances. Kristin Scott Thomas is fierce and cold as Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff lights up the screen as Julia. Thomas Sangster, too, in his supporting role as Paul McCartney, makes the most of the opportunity and is well prepared to take on more roles worthy of his talents.

All in all, Nowhere Boy is run by amazing performances and great direction, which the story tends to take a backseat to.


THE VERDICT: Sometimes a little standard, but an inspired performance from Aaron Johnson makes the movie a little more than an insight on a star.

8/10

The Evolution of Nicolas Cage's Hair and It's Influence/Influences

There are some things in this world which are unbelievable...in the weirdest little way. These things seem to change with a click of the fingers, and they change in the most amazing ways. Welcome to the eighth wonder of the world: Nicolas Cage's hair.
Through the years it has gone through the most amazing transformations, and it would seem that it has it's similarities with others...some similarities which are, well, interesting. Get ready for my guide on Nicolas Cage's hair...

'The Electrocuted Bieber Flick'

There is Nicolas Cage back in 1983, starring in the movie Valley Girl. You can see the 'cool guy' persona he exudes through an ultra-hip hairstyle. As you can see, this hairstyle has a very Justin Bieber look about it, but it has a bit more body. He's kinda messed it up a bit, and personally I think he looks a bit like he has just been electrocuted by a hair straightener. Not unlike Red-Mist in Kick-Ass, a film which Cage recently starred in.

'The Stallone Mullet'

Why so sad, Nic? Miss out on a part in The Expendables? Hey, don't be too sad...you were there. Stallone kinda took your mullet that you rocked in the 1987 movie Moonstruck, where you probably had better hair then your co-star Cher. Maybe there will be a sequel to The Expendables and you could take over Sly's part?

'The R-Pattz Tousled Do'
I wonder if Robert Pattinson actually took inspiration from Nicolas Cage's hairstyle in the 1987 Coen Bros. classic Raising Arizona? You can see where Nic is going with this one...no brush, no fuss. Now you can see why R-Pattz chose this hairstyle...seeing as he ain't a huge fan of the bathtub.

'The Romantic Movie Look'
Nic had to do his best to make a good impression in a romantic comedy, and he did it with a hairstyle that reminds me a lot of Tom Cruise. He went well against form in 1994 to star in fluff-and-sugar-galore It Could Happen to You. I could really see Nic and Tom in an ad together, which says this: Scientology...It Could Happen to You. Cue scientologists with some romantic haircuts.

'Serious Movie Fuzz'

In 1995, Cage starred in Leaving Las Vegas, where he played an alcoholic and won an Oscar for it. I'm sure the last thing he'd be worrying about was his hair, but I can't help but be reminded of a really itchy sweater when looking at his hair. His poor, poor head.

'The Pixie Cut'
It looks like a Pixie Cut, most commonly seen on young actresses (Alyssa Millano pictured), but Nic has added his manly touch to it for his movie Face/Off. He's trimmed it right back, taking new meaning to 'keeping hair out of his face', and has obviously succeeded in making his head look longer then it rightfully is. I really feel like asking him "Why the long face?"

'The Long and the Careless'
What was he thinking? The long locks really don't suit him. And I'm afraid that this isn't the last time we see his hair at abnormal lengths. All of this for Con Air? I could actually picture him and Mickey Rourke as best friends.

'The Cool Guy'
With this hairstyle, Nic could for once be known as a cool guy with cool hair. Sure, there ain't much of it there, but it's normal, right? If only he kept this hairstyle. In fact, if only Keanu Reeves could have kept that hairstyle. Oh yeah, Nic was playing an angel here in 1998 film City of Angels with Meg Ryan, so I guess that's what excuses any of the other wacky hairstyles.

'Blonde's Have More Fun'
Nic hits the bottle and goes blonde for 2000 movie Gone in 60 Seconds which he co-starred in with Angelina Jolie. I couldn't help but think he looked uncannily like Alexander Skarsgard, who plays Eric Northman in True Blood. Just not as buff. Or pale. But maybe, one day, Nic could do a flashback in the show as Eric's Dad? You heard it here first...

'Warm and Fuzzy'
For Adaption. Nic took on a rather interesting hairstyle...a ginger Action Man hairstyle, to be exact. Look how fuzzy it is. I wonder what is growing in that forest...

'Lettin' it Loose'
Lord of War saw Cage take on a surprisingly normal hairstyle, which just hangs there...but doesn't look out of place or anything. To be honest, he looks like a young Mel Gibson with that 'do. Let's just hope that he doesn't act like an old Mel Gibson.

'ATTACKED!'
Many people ask why Cage would even think of starring in a remake of 1970's classic The Wicker Man. I haven't seen the film, but I can tell that it doesn't look like the best movie ever. And when I saw this picture, I just couldn't help but think that the expression on his face looks like he is being attacked by Lady Gaga's Grammy Awards dress. It's not a hairstyle...but his accessories sure have him scared.

'Moustachio'
Aside from the hair on his head, Nic sometimes transforms his facial hair, this time for 2006 film World Trade Center. It's a serious movie, which tackles serious matters, but that moustache is hard to take seriously when it looks curiously like that of Borat. Maybe Sacha Baron Cohen has made a new character...the hair obsessed alpha male who goes by the name of Nicolas Cage. You never know.

'The Bad-ass Action Hero'
Why did I compare his hairstyle in Ghost Rider to that of Audrey Hepburn's? Because it looks like Nic has stolen her hairstyle. Even though he's going for a real bad-ass action go to guy, he opts for a 'classic' look. Let's just hope he doesn't steal any other classic actresses hair-do's in the near future.

'The Mullet is Back...With a Vengance'
Who actually saw Bangkok Dangerous? At Blockbuster we had to put people who rented the movie in the draw to win a mounted poster of Bangkok Dangerous. The amount of people who turned that opportunity down was priceless. I really don't envy the person who has that in their room right now. The movie saw Nic return with a mullet, but this time, it wasn't so Stallone, it was just a shorter version of John Lennon's 'do.

'The Wind-Swept Look'
Ignore his amazing facials (here in Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans) and look at his hair. I think you may agree that it looks gone with the wind. Just like Zac Efron's hair...but maybe not with as much gel? By the looks of things, we know that it must be time for Nic to do a full-on Disney musical, yes?

'The Hobo'
Once I saw his appearance in The Sorcerer's Apprentice, I instantly thought his hair was made out of Brad Pitt's beard. I really hope Nic goes for this look again, because I really hate that thing that hangs of Brad Pitt's chin for no particular reason at all. Mind you, if Nic walked down the street with hair like that, I'm pretty sure people would be giving him money...I mean, it doesn't look mainstream actor like, does it?

'The Old Guy'
I actually like Nic in Kick-Ass, mainly because I insanely love the movie. I found him to be quite sweet. His hairstyle suits his character (well maybe not the Big Daddy part, but...), but I wouldn't recommend that Nic go around with a receding hairline and a little mo. He might just get mistaken for Ron Burgundy.

'That? I don't even wanna talk about that.'

What has he done? Please, Nicolas Cage, I am begging you to never try and be Matthew McConaughey. Even you are better than him. The blonde just doesn't suit you. And blonde mullet's never suit anyone. Please. Get rid of that hairstyle!

Those are most of Nic Cage's hairstyles....I hope you have gathered some inspiration and you are heading down to the hairdressers with this blog post to get yourself a Nic Cage haircut. You know you want to.

But what could possibly be next on Nic Cage's list of possible hairdo's? A bowl cut...perhaps.

DVD--She's Out of My League

or: Guys who don't believe in themselves.

One word to sum it up: Cute.

On the surface, you may think that this film has already been done...countless times. While She's Out of My League is no where near original, you may find that it is at least honest. And in no way was it sterotypical. So, sure, it may not be a great movie, but it's at least a bit better then other romantic comedies.

Kirk (Jay Baruchel) is an average Joe who works as a TSA agent at the Pittsburgh airport with his friends. The status quo of his fairly monotonous life ends when he meets Molly (Alice Eve), a smart, kind and gorgeous blonde. Because she's way out of his league (she's a hard 10 and he is but a 5), Kirk knows there's no way on earth she's ever going to fall for him. Or is there...?

I was kinda expecting a raunchy comedy that is similar to other frat-pack films, but it just wasn't there. The film is barely offensive enough to have it's place up with ther comedies like Knocked Up or 40 Year Old Virgin. However, it's kinda good that this film sold itself as a cheap comedy, because had it gone fully romantic then this would have lost all of it's charm.

This could be the first romantic comedy that I have semi-liked this year, because it really isn't that bad. It steers away from stereotypes and instead gives an honest look at love. And flaws. That's what makes it so much better than other films who tackle this topic. Jay Baruchel is good as the lead and is able to make the 5 a lot more loveable than he gives himself credit for. Alice Eve is gorgeous as Molly, and should definitely be getting a few more lead roles coming her way, she's one to watch for the future. Krysten Ritter, last seen in Confessions of a Shopaholic, once again steals the show playing a short-tempered bitch to absolute perfection.



THE VERDICT: It may not be as fun or offensive as it's predecessors, but She's Out of My League knows how to tell love how it sees it, and we all believe.

6/10

DVD--Letters to Juliet

or: Another Amanda Seyfried movie with letters.

One word to sum it up: Ummmmmmmmmm.

If you have seen the Letters to Juliet trailer, I think you may feel like you have already seen the whole movie. I mean, I didn't know how they could possibly turn that 2 minutes of trailer into a whole 100 minute film. To my surprise, the trailer was missing some of the film, but you could get the basic storyline, from beginning to end, in the trailer. So instead of doing a plot synopsis, here's the trailer. Oh, and I guess I should put here *spoiler alert*.

While Letters to Juliet had a nice enough story (by that I mean the actual 'letters to Juliet' and Vanessa Redgrave finding her true love), that didn't excuse how cliched it was. One of my friends asked me how the movie was, and this is what I said: "It was amazingly cliched, as predictable as our main street in town, and the script was so awkward it made Paulie Bleeker look normal." Then I later tweeted: "Wow...Letters to Juliet has some of the bigest twists and turns I have seen since...Valentine's Day." I think either of those two statements rightly sum up Letters to Juliet. It may offer a little more than the usual romantic film, but it sure doesn't strain itself to set itself apart from the crowd.

I wish Amanda Seyfried would take on some better roles. I mean, look at this: three of her films, Letters, Dear John and Mamma Mia have all had letters playing a more prominent role than her. I say send an email and get it over with. There are only so many times we can see Amanda all puffy from crying over love. Also, I think the film over did the role that Gael Garcia Bernal had. If he was really that ignorant, then why would Sophie stay engaged to him? Christopher Egan wasn't that much better. If anything, this film suffers from some bad characterization and limp dialogue, but there is still Vanessa Redgrave's story to swoon over. That's true romance, right there.

THE VERDICT: Romance fans will love it, but even they might have a hard time not noticing the outward awkwardness of this film. And they may feel like they have seen it all before.

4/10

Week #9 in summary...! Killing carrots, killing Bill, killing boxes and killing romantic comedies...

This week is all about killing? You better believe it. Just a shame I didn't happen to watch Killers this week. By the looks of the trailer, it looks like the movie lives up to it's name. This week has changed things for the blog, and I hope you are liking it. Because I am. No need to leave any comments though. Coz chances are you ain't wasting your time reading this.

• Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004) I'd just about forgotten how much I love Quentin Tarantino, but this film just dragged me back on to the band wagon. I still love you, QT. 8/10


• The Box (2009) Boxes will kill. Come to think of it, it's like some sort of game show...'the money or the box'? Honestly, they shouldn't do that. Bad taste, I'm sorry. 6/10


• Brothers (2009) It has good actors...just a shame it was a tad boring though. 4/10


• A Single Man (2009) Thanks Tom Ford and Colin Firth. My heart is still broken. But you still made one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. 10/10


• The Rebound (2009) I don't like romantic comedies. But somehow I liked this one. I think that may have been coz Justin Bartha is so cute in this. 6/10


• When in Rome (2010) I don't like romantic comedies. And I hated this one. Mainly coz it was particularly unfunny even though it had funny people in it. 4/10


• Whip It (2009) I want to try roller derby. But I'm way too un-coed to do that. Ellen Page would so whip me. 8/10


• Shoot 'Em Up (2007) I have a newfound respect for carrots now. They are lethal weapons. And maybe I like Clive Owen a little more now?? 6/10

Best movie: A Single Man. Even though I dislike how sad it made me.

Worst movie: When in Rome. Romantic comedies have never looked so bad.

Highlight of the week: Passing a maths test I never thought I would pass because I didn't get it.

Lowlight of the week: Having to stay home from school because of some major headache...which I have had for four days and still counting...

Rewind--Shoot 'Em Up

or: Kill 'em with carrots.

One word to sum it up: Hilarious.

Shoot 'Em Up came out in a straight-to-DVD release back in 2008, and I may have been interested to see it. But now that free-to-air TV has become a lot more up to speed (The Dark Knight is on next week! YAY!), by chance I thought I may give it ago. It left me wondering...why the hell did this go straight to DVD? All the kids in this town would have got an absolute kick out of this.

In the middle of the night, while waiting for a bus in a bus station, a lonely stranger called Mr. Smith (Clive Owen) sees a pregnant woman being chased by a man with a gun. He follows the couple, kills the man and helps the delivery of the baby in the middle of a shootout while a gang of hit-man tries to shoot them up. The woman is killed but Smith saves the baby, escaping from Hertz (Paul Giamatti), the leader of the killers. Then he meets the prostitute Donna Quintano (Monica Bellucci), who has just lost her baby, and asks her to breastfeed the newborn. They are chased by Hertz and Smith discovers the reason why the bad guy wants to kill the baby.

This movie is fun. It's just a hardcore action flick that has the most shooting I have ever seen, but yet, seems to go somewhere. Hard to believe, but it does. Not that one would care, because they will be too entertained by the non-stop shooting and interesting situations that it contains. Even though I don't like Clive Owen, and never particularly have, I found his character in this to be on of the biggest bad-asses in recent action film history.

To be honest, all of this is total nonsense. And while most of the time it's nonsensical spirit gets the better of it, and you could be left thinking 'WTF is happening now?!', you still want to watch it. Because it's a little guilty pleasure that may not make you feel so guilty. Action films like Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are stupid because they try to be cool. Shoot Em Up is cool because it tries to be stupid. Oh...and by the way, this has the most well put together sex scene I have ever seen. And carrots have never looked so lethal!



THE VERDICT: While it is pretty good, it's nonsense sometimes gets the better of it. However, it doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes for some pretty entertaining viewing.

6/10

Rewatch--Whip It

Or: Juno with roller-skates.

One word to sum it up: Fun

As I have probably said before, in my eyes, Ellen Page will always be Juno. She can perform as another character unbelievably well, but in the back of my mind I have the vision of her in that white and orange striped tee shirt with a prominent baby bump sticking out. This happened to me a lot during Whip It, even though she did an amazingly underrated performance as Bliss Cavendar/Babe Ruthless.

Bliss Cavendar (Ellen Page) dreams of escaping her tiny Texas truck-stop town. Unfortunately, her devoted, beauty pageant obsessed mother (Marcia Gay Harden) is convinced Bliss can only succeed in life if she wins the crown at the local Miss Blue Bonnet Pageant. In the big city of Austin she discovers a world unlike anything she could ever imagine; roller derby, with its girl-power-meets-punk-rock spirit and its liberating celebration of wild individuality. Inspired by the likes of Maggie Mayhem (Kristen Wiig) and feisty Smashley Simpson (Drew Barrymore), Bliss tries out for a spot on the Hurl Scouts, a rag-tag team of scrappy underdogs. Soon she's trading in gowns and crowns for skits, skates and scrapes becoming her alter ego, Babe Ruthless. Leading a precarious double life as a waitress by day and the fastest thing on eight wheels by night, Bliss is doing things she never dreamed of--including fearlessly facing off with bad-ass rivals like Iron Maven (Juliette Lewis) and falling for a boy in a band (Landon Pigg).

Whip It is amazingly cool. I hadn't even heard of roller derby before this movie, and now I am quite keen to try it out. Even though I'm probably too weak and un-coed to even go 30 centimetres in roller skates. While it is predominantly a film about roller derby, it is also a strikingly real teenage film. It's not let down by stereotypes, and it focuses on the relationships that teenagers have with their friends, boyfriends and parents. Bliss is believable, mainly because her life is run by her mother and she is doing things she really isn't happy doing. But once she finds the thing she wants to do, and the thing that she is good at, she is prepared to do anything to keep going. Like lying about her age and later leading a double life (luckily not the Hannah Montana kind).

Drew Barrymore makes a great directorial debut, and she should definitely take time out to direct another film similar to this. She managed to bring together a great cast of mostly women and doesn't let anything get out of hand. The soundtrack she acquired was indie cool, which may cause people to draw comparisons to that of Juno. If anything stands out in this film, it has to be the ensemble of colourful characters, who are really bad-ass, just like their names suggest (ah, Maggie Mayhem, Bloody Holly, Eva Destruction, anyone?). Then comes the sweet and tender look at love, shown through the relationship between Bliss and Oliver. I really and truly hope that if there was a future for this film, those two would get married and have mini roller-derby band kids.

THE VERDICT: Whip It is a strong directorial debut for Barrymore, but more than anything just a fun showcase for roller derby and a real teenage flick. There's something for everyone to relate to in this movie.

8/10

DVD--When in Rome (post #300!)

or: Young people in fluffy rom-com...example #5123

One word to sum it up: Predicatable.

As explained in my review of The Rebound, I can't stay away from romantic comedies. Upon falling sick and having to spend two days at home, I embarked on a quest through Blockbuster for some movies to bust boredom. What I came up with? When in Rome. Even though romance pisses me off, I always watch this kind of film when I am sick because, well, they don't require too much thought.

Beth (Kristen Bell) is obsessed with work and refuses to fall in love until she finds someone she loves more than her work. She travels to Rome for her sister's wedding, and goes to the famed Fountain of Love and takes some coins. Upon returning to New York, four men start coming onto her as she has their coins. But she finds herself falling in love with Nick (Josh Duhamel), even though she thinks their relationship is the result of one of the coins. However, the other four men keep coming in between her real relationship and, well, her sanity.

This movie should be arrested for excessive use of rom-com cliches. The end could have been seen from a mile away. In fact, you could probably tell what the end was going to be without actually watching the movie. It's mostly devoid of laughs, which is a shame because it has a genuinely funny cast. Will Arnett, Danny DeVito, Dax Shephard and Jon Heder (also, a cameo from Pedro of Napoleon Dynamite fame) play some pretty strange characters, but unfortunately, I didn't find them funny. They were characters who I have become so used to seeing in other films of this type and there wasn't really anything outrageously funny to laugh at.

Kristen Bell, however, has some pretty infectious charm. She probably makes the movie worth watching, even though her character completely pissed me off. She was like a more whiny, more preppy combination of Summer from (500) Days of Summer and Andy Sachs from The Devil Wears Prada...she didn't believe in love and cared about her job more than anything else. Josh Duhamel was a likeable enough romantic lead, but his comic timing was somewhat painful and he should really just stick to action films. While When in Rome is so much of a rom-com it's a criminal offence, it can't help but make you smile...in some weird way.



THE VERDICT: Unfortunately one of the worst offenders in recent rom-com history, but it's young leads, Kristen Bell and Josh Duhamel, make use of this small opportunity to show off their charms.

4/10

DVD--The Rebound

or: Age Does Matter: Part 254

One word to sum it up: Cute

I have a problem. No matter how much I hate them, no matter how much I try to stay away, I still like to watch romantic comedies. They aren't my favourite lot of movies, but sometimes there are only so many psychological thrillers one can take. I am always attracted to watching rom-coms randomly then picking up an action of some kind. While most of them are crap, some manage to be a bit better than the average. Like The Rebound.

Sandy (Catherine Zeta-Jones), upon discovering her husband's infidelity while watching her son's birthday video, leaves the suburbs and moves into the city. She gets an apartment that's above a coffee house where she befriends one of the workers, Aram (Justin Bartha), a guy whose wife only married him so she could get a green card. Soon after moving into the apartment, Sandy hires Aram to be her nanny while she takes on work for the first time since her children where born. It isn't long when Aram and Sandy find they get along wonderfully and start to date. But the question is: is their relationship real or is it, in fact, just a rebound for both of them?

Unsurprisingly, The Rebound is pretty formulaic. Surprisingly, though, it was a lot different then I thought it would be. For one thing, the lead characters were actually nice people. Sandy wasn't just another woman whining about aging. Aram, however, was the reason this movie was so cute. He was a guy who for once didn't care about sex and instead cared about helping others. And he just happened to be one of the cutest babysitters ever. But, to be honest, putting Catherine Zeta-Jones and Justin Bartha in a movie together just didn't work. Either I have a pre-conceived idea that Catherine is always the bad girl or Justin is just too cute, they just didn't seem right for each other. Brownie points for trying, though.

The Rebound is really nice in the way that the characters didn't annoy the crap out of me and I actually cared about them. I wouldn't call this much of a 'romantic comedy' because it's very dramatic. Quite heart-breaking, if you ask me. It starts off quite funny, but doesn't put itself out by making divorce seem funny. At some times it feels like it isn't going anywhere, and by the end, you may feel that it doesn't, but it wanders through 90 minutes as painlessly as possible. Which is, strictly speaking, a breath of fresh air.



THE VERDICT: Doesn't offer anything new to the romance genre, but manages to be likeable as it refrains from most of the cliches. It's not laugh-out-loud funny, however, it has a lot of charm and sweetness which makes for some easy viewing.

6/10

Kick Ass Yourself!

This is the first Weird and Wonderful find...these will be coming at you at least once a week. Of course, they will be movie related and will have some degree of epicness in them. Hope you enjoy!

Ever wanted to be a superhero? Now's your chance! Stuff Batman, you want to be a Kick-Ass hero! Well I do...anyway.

Okay...so this is probably the most shoddy of them all. Mainly because I don't think I'd ever look good in a green scuba diving suit. And considering Kick-Ass/Dave Lizewski is a guy. Who's played by Aaron Johnson. Who is really good looking. Yeah, I just can't live up to that kind.

The Red Mist one looks alright. I mean, I look really happy as Red Mist. I think, if I was anyone, I'd probably be Red Mist. Mainly coz I'm not the most co-ed of people and I totally pull off that hairstyle. So if you see a Red Mist lookalike running around the streets...you know it's me.

Hit-Girl is pretty cool. I really like her purple colour scheme she has going on. I think I could pull Hit-Girl off too. Just minus the cool moves and attacks she has. Oh, and I don't want to be shot by my father. That is just really weird.

Haha...this one is my personal favourite. Even so much so that I have humiliated myself by making it my Facebook profile picture. I hate Nicholas Cage. So for his character I had to make it look stupid. Give the guy a smile and then...wow. I AM BIG DADDY!

Now you should have a go...BECAUSE YOU WANT TO BE COOL! Make sure you have some good webcam pics to upload...you can tilt/rotate them when you get the right superhero. It's a cool little thing, especially for fans of the movie! May we all become our own heroes! (BTW...If anyone can make Big Daddy look funnier...please send me the pics. In fact, if you do this...send the pics. Just comment below and I'll find a way of getting them! We could start up our own gang...)

DVD--A Single Man

or: Fashion and cinema combine to make this baby.

One word to sum it up: Beautiful.

You have no idea how much I wanted to see A Single Man. The trailer, though not giving away any of the movie, just looked so beautiful and pretty much like the classic films that I love watching. Then came the praise for Colin Firth's performance, who has been one of my favourite actor's for some time. And the fact that fashion designer Tom Ford was directing it made me interested to watch it. I just love it when a film I have been looking forward to for ages exceeds my really high expectations.

George Falconer (Colin Firth) has lost his partner Jim (Matthew Goode) in a car accident. He feels he must go about another day, and when the day comes to an end, he plans to commit suicide. He meets a student, Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who may just make his life worth living. Also, his friendship with Charley (Julianne Moore) puts things into persepctive. Is George ready to leave and return to Jim, his great love?

I have to get this out of the way first. If you are homophobic, then this is not the movie for you. If you can't sit down and appreciate cinema as an art form, then this isn't for you. However, when you are someone like me, who has watched many films and loves the beauty cinema can make, then this is definitely for you (that's one more thing: I have the brain of about a 40 year old when I watch movies). This movie is jaw-droppingly beautiful. Tom Ford's direction, true to being a fashion designer, is so intricate and basically uses some amazingly set up scenes to tell the story. In some parts it plays out like a perfume ad, but on a whole it truly captures the 1960's. The art direction and of course, the costumes, are impeccable.

This film would have been nothing without Colin Firth. Here he delivers the performance of a lifetime, which I think was much better than Jeff Bridges in Crazy Heart. Firth should have one the Oscar. On that topic, this film should have been nominated for a lot more Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress for Julianne Moore. I have never seen anyone pull off the role of an aging and troubled drama queen so well.

A Single Man broke my heart and I was crying for a little while after watching it. I don't think I have ever been so amazed by a film's beauty. Tom Ford should really be directing more films. If they are like this one, he could reinvent the influence that fashion has on cinema. A Single Man isn't merely a film, it's what I like to call 'true cinema'.

THE VERDICT: Amazing. Well performed by Firth and Moore, with some fantastic direction from Ford. Trust me, you'll think hard about life after seeing this film.

10/10

DVD--Brothers

or: Dear John with some better actors.

One word to some it up: Boring.

Brothers should have boasted about it's cast a bit more. Tobey Macguire, Jake Gyllenhaal and Natalie Portman, who in real life are very close friends, turned out in full force with this movie. Shame is, they were barely in the movie enough to even get top billing. I think I was more interested in the kids. What I expected was a steamy romantic drama. What I got was something I could have seen in an episode of Coronation Street.

Sam Cahill (Tobey Macguire) leaves his family once again to go and fight in Afghanistan, and while he is gone he lets his brother Tommy (Jake Gyllenhaal) stay at his house after he is released from prison for robbing a bank. Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead, leaving his wife Grace (Natalie Portman) and two children alone. Tommy steps in to help with the family, but in amazing circumstances Sam is found alive and returns home to find that his family have changed in his absence.

I haven't seen the Danish original, but I could probably guarantee that it's a lot better than this one. There were a few things I was expecting from this film that just never happened. Like I expected the relationship between Tommy and Grace to be a bit more intense. I wanted it to be a fractured portrait of a family, but it just felt pretty much the same as most movie families. And for one thing, I really admired Tobey Macguire's work at the end of the film, as he managed to pull off that giant hissy fit and still be respectable. If only the rest of the film could have been like that.

Macguire, Gyllenhaal and Portman all pull off marvellous performances and carry the movie with their professionalism and ability. However, nothing really happens in Brothers, and it fails to make use of the good story it has. It just feels to melodramatic and lacks the magic to pack a real punch. The acting is probably the only redeeming feature this movie has, even including the short appearance from Carey Mulligan, who I barely recognized with beautiful long blonde locks.

THE VERDICT: Brothers plays out more like an episode of a soap drama than a true drama, and suffers from a high dosage of Hollywood gloss. Macguire, Gyllenhaal and Portman do make this worth the watch, though.

4/10

DVD--The Box

or: Beware of boxes. They kill.

One word to sum it up: Puzzling.

After a while of deciding which of the week's movies I should choose to watch, I finally decided on The Box. Why? Because, back in early 2008, I was obsessed with James Marsden, and vowed to watch all of his films. I didn't, but I knew The Box would be one I'd watch in the future. But after months of delay and no cinema release here, I kinda gave up on that hope. Suddenly it turns up on DVD, and though I had lost interest in watching it, I chose this over like five others.

Norma (Cameron Diaz) and Arthur Lewis (James Marsden), a suburban couple with a young child, receive a simple wooden box as a gift, which bears fatal and irrevocable consequences. A mysterious stranger delivers the message that the box promises to bestow upon its owner $1 million with the press of a button. But pressing this button will simultaneously cause the death of another human being somewhere in the world, someone they don't know. With just 24 hours to have the box in their possession, Norma and Arthur find themselves in the cross-hairs of a startling moral dilemma and must face the true nature of their humanity.

I can't really say that I didn't enjoy this movie. Because I did, immensely, too. I was even prepared to give it a higher rating. But I gave it an hour to sink in and I found that this movie wasn't really that great. It has a fantastic premise and it is obviously well thought through. Perhaps too thought through...that's it's problems. You see all these problems arising and it's obvious that Richard Kelly knows what's going on, he just hasn't allowed the viewer to come to the party. It's a case of one's imagination getting the better of him...and the viewer, it would seem.

On one hand, The Box offers some thrills and definitely gets you thinking about humanity and fate. I mean, would you kill someone you don't know for $1 million? On the other hand, the film has gaping wide plot holes and feels messy. It's like an unfinished puzzle which is missing some pieces: it never feels complete. Cameron Diaz, James Marsden and Frank Langella offer some good performances, but they are trying to make use of some really weak dialogue. Which is a shame, coz this movie could go far, but it didn't quite have the recipe to do so. Richard Kelly has talent, as shown with Donnie Darko, but sometimes the talent isn't always a blessing.



THE VERDICT: Very intriguing and entertaining, but on a professional level this film doesn't quite come together as it should, and offers more questions than answers. However, it's still worth the watch for fans of thoughtful thrillers.

6/10

Classic--Kill Bill: Vol. 2

or: Seeking Revenge...Bloody Revenge.

One word to sum it up: WTF?!

I did watch the first Kill Bill back in early 2008, and I was surprised by how much I actually remember from it. I leapt at the opportunity to watch Kill Bill: Volume Two, as it is one of the only Quentin Tarantino movies I have never seen (the other one being Reservoir Dogs, which I have seen half of). There isn't really an explaination as to why I, and others, admire Tarantino so much. You just do. His films are beasts of nature.

The murderous Bride (Uma Thurman) is back and she is still continuing her vengeance quest against her ex-boss, Bill (David Carradine), and taking aim at Bill's younger brother Budd (Michael Madsen) and Elle Driver (Daryl Hannah), the only survivors from the squad of assassins who betrayed her four years earlier. It's all leading up to the ultimate confrontation with Bill, the Bride's former master and the man who ordered her execution!

This movie, though filled to the brim with some pretty outrageous gore, is just a non-stop enjoyment-fest. If you don't enjoy this movie, then there is something wrong with you. Quentin knows what he wants from this movie: he wants it to be fun and show off some amazing martial arts skills, but he also doesn't let it get too out of hand. Uma Thurman, too, makes The Bride a character we should care about, and is a hero that should be merely respected because she is trying to make a better life for her daughter...even if that means killing a few people to do that. Kill Bill could have turned out as some cheap rip off of other revenge flicks, but luckily, with a solid performance from Uma and some human touches intertwined within all the gore and fighting, it manages to make a phenomenon.

When rating this film, I guess I should consider that it's part of Kill Bill: Volume One and the only thing that seperated these films was their running time. Together they make for (no pun intended) bloody good action films, that serve as a reminder that a QT homage to a certain genre isn't a cheap rip off. It's a total reinvention. Quentin knows how to make a good film, thanks to his excellent dialogue skills and ways of making stupid turn smart. Sometimes his brain will get the better of him, but that's not the end of the world.

THE VERDICT: A totally awesome action flick that is as good as the original, though a little less action packed and more dialogue-filled. Not that that's a bad thing. Satisfactory for fans of the first film, too.

8/10

Welcome to 'Cinematic Paradox'

Yes, this was once 'Alice in Movieland', and don't worry, I'm still here. I just felt the need for a change and here we have it...it may not look as great as Alice but y'know, I get bored with the same thing easily. The name, too, felt a little juvenile. It took me a while, but I came up with Cinematic Paradox. I know that a 'paradox' is some sort of contradiction or something, but I'm really referencing the paradox in Inception...and, this sounds really cheesy, but my never ending love for cinema. So just imagine this...a never ending staircase filled with movies...and all these levels of movies I watch. If that made any sense at all.

Anyway, with the new design and name change comes a few new features, come I haven't decided on as yet. Of course, I will continue reviewing ever movie I watch and keep up watching A Movie a Day until whenever I decide to stop. As for the features...well. Once a week there will be a 'Weird and Wonderful Find'. Movie-related, of course. The internet is filled with some stuff that just happens to pop up during random searches. I'll find some cool stuff and you may just be inspired to try this stuff out for yourself.

That's one new feature...but there will be a few more coming in the future. Other things you can expect from Cinematic Paradox? A better, more sophisticated layout to reviewing and a few new things in the sidebar.

I'd be excited, too=)

Week #8 in summary...! Cillian Murphy week, Part II

Wow...up to week eight already?! Just as a pre-warning, not this coming week, but the week after (12th-19th??), A Movie a Day maybe taking a break. Don't worry, I will make up for it with an extra week at the end. And I will still manage to watch a few films. Reason? Got the job of doing make up for the local production of Les Miserables, and probably won't have enough time in the day to get a movie in. This could be subject to change, though.

Anyway, I watched a few more Cillian Murphy movies this week, and I think there are very few left to dig up in the future that I still should watch. I think it's fair to say that Cillian Murphy may just be my favourite actor...yes, right up there with Leonardo DiCaprio.

• The Edge of Love (2008) This movie I watched a year and a half ago, and clearly overrated it. Upon the second, more educated watch, the rating was slashed in half. 4/10


• Insomnia (2002) I have now watched every single Christopher Nolan film. And enjoyed every single one of them. Yeah, he is God. 8/10


• Red Eye (2005) Sit buy an impossibly cute guy with amazingly gorgeous eyes on a plane, who seems a little stalkerish? He's trying to kill your Dad. And there's not a lot you can do, Rachel McAdams. 6/10


• Watching the Detectives (2007) Cillian Murphy does comedy. And is good at it. Are their any ends to this guys talents? No, I don't think so. 4/10


• Boy (2010) New Zealand actually does make good films. Boy should be getting Oscars...10/10


• Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003) This film has to be the most beautiful piecce of cinematic art...ever. 7/10


• Adventureland (2009) Kristen Stewart makes pot cookies. Jesse Eisenberg gives away a giant-ass panda at knife point. Yup, this movie is preeeeety interesting! 8/10

I think you can sort the best from the worst in this group of movies. It's just a shame that the Cillian movies I watched this week weren't as good as last weeks round.

Highlight of the week: Hmmmm...no real highlights spring to mind at the moment. Oh, I did get my driver's license!

Lowlight of the week: The weather has been so cold and miserable for 'Spring'. And I guess I should say something about the Christchurch Earthquake. No city is more beautiful than that place, and I hope with all my heart that it comes back to normal.

Adventureland

I watched Adventureland waaaaaay back before this blog even existed. You may have noticed though, back in January I reviewed the movie on here. Long story behind that one, but I decided to buy the movie and watch it again. What's surprising is that it's a bit better than I remembered it to be.

James (Jesse Eisenberg) dreams of travelling to Europe for a while, and is hoping that his parents will help him pay for that. However, his parents are having a few financial troubles, and James is forced to go work at 'Adventureland', where he is in charge of a games stall which doesn't give out it's prizes to easily. It's not all bad working minimum wage for doing nothing though, as James meets a whole raft of interesting people, including Em (Kristen Stewart), a girl who just wants to live her life without anyone interfering.

Kristen Stewart really annoys me. I really wish the girl had more talent, and you can see that she is trying her best, but she relies on blinking and pulling her hair back too often. With time, and definitely a lot more films like this, she could become the next best Oscar winner. I haven't seen The Runaways, but let's just say, her recent films, with the exception of this, haven't done wonders for the talent she has locked away in herself somewhere.

The film serves as nostalgia for the olds, even though it is predominantly a teen film. A teen romance with real heart, to be exact. Jesse Eisenberg is perfect as James, who is over-educated and awkward. Yes, that sounds a lot like another Michael Cera, but I'm sure with Eisenberg's upcoming role in The Social Network, we'll see a real star on the rise. The cast is filled with some talented and genuinely funny stars, including welcome appearances from Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig, who serve as most of the films humour.

The 1980's never looked so good, and neither did a crappy summer job. Good luck watching this film and not wanting to go and get some cheap thrills from some less-than-exhilirating fun-park ride. It's just a shame that this never got a huge release here and turned up out of the blue on DVD last year. It's a little gem of a movie that will have you laughing but will ultimately break your heart.

Bring out the high wasted pants and the some 80's songs after you watch Adventureland. Makes the 80's look cooler than anything else.

8/10

Girl with a Pearl Earring

And thus, Cillian Murphy week that actually took two weeks draws to a close, with Girl with a Pearl Earring. Though I am sure to watch a few more Cillian movies in the near future, so keep an eye out. However, on the subject of Girl with a Pearl Earring (not one of the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' films, as one of my friends pointed out)...a lovely period drama that reminded me a lot of Bright Star, because not much happened, but I still liked it.
This is the story about the events surrounding the creation of the painting "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). The girl in the painting, Griet (Scarlett Johansson), is a maid in the house of Vermeer. Vermeer's wealthy patron and sole means of support, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), commissions him to paint Griet with the intent that he will have her for himself before it is finished. She must somehow secretly pose for the crucial painting without the knowledge of Vermeer's wife, avoid Van Ruijven's grasp, and protect herself from the cruel gossip of the world of a 17th century servant.

Like most period dramas, this film is slooooooooooow. All the substatial things that happen in this movie are only substantial to the time period, not to the times we are living in now. But you hardly expect for someone to call Griet a bitch on Facebook...right? To fully enjoy this movie, you must put yourself in the mindset to watch a period drama. The film is visually stunning, and from start to finish, you will be marvelling over every scene in this movie. It's set out like a painting. Scarlett Johansson walks around in this film looking like the painting. Every bit of this film is so intricate and well put together, you could definitely acknowledge this as art.

The whole cast performs so brilliantly that you will believe in this 17th century story. Even Scarlett Johansson. And, I have to say, Cillian Murphy looked like Peter Pan in this movie. It manages to be a little romantic using no erotic scenes at all, which adds to the beauty it conveys so well. Like a painting, it builds up in layers, and at the end we get a beautiful portrait. Sounds like some stupid metaphor, but it's true.

A beautiful piece of cinematic art, but unfortunately the story was a little slow for comfortable viewing.

7/10

Boy

As you should probably know by now, Boy has become a New Zealand phenomenon. It has become the movie that has defined our nation, in a much better light than Once Were Warriors. Us Kiwis sure had good reason to go gaga over Boy, because not only can we all relate to it, we can all be proud of a film we have made...not just a film we have provided the graphics for (i.e. Avatar).

Boy (James Rolleston) is a dreamer who loves Michael Jackson. He lives with his brother Rocky (Te Aho Eketone-Whitu), a tribe of deserted cousins and his Nan. Boy's other hero, his dad, Alamein (Taika Waititi), is the subject of Boy's fantasies, and he imagines him as a deep sea diver, war hero and a close relation of Michael Jackson (he can even dance like him). In reality he's 'in the can for robbery'. When Alamein returns home after 7 years away, Boy is forced to confront the man he thought he remembered, finding his own potential and learn to get along without the hero he had been hoping for.

The best thing about Boy is that it starts off being really, really funny. I mean side-splittingly funny. Though it continues this throughout most of the rest of the movie, it takes on a real heart breaking turn. No, this movie isn't depressing, rather, it takes a story we can all relate to: realising that our hero isn't as perfect as we expect them to be. When Boy realises who his father really is, it sucks, big time. You can't help but feel sorry for the guy.

New Zealanders love this, as I'm sure the international audience will too. It has be gathering some rave reviews from Australia, and should hopefully be released in America some time soon. While I'm sure they won't get the full gist of the movie because it is a Kiwi film made for Kiwi's, they will love it's humour and fantastic nature. James Rolleston makes a fitting debut as Boy, and manages to capture the hearts and minds of the audience through a performance better than what we see on the average episode of Shortland Street. Taika Waititi, taking on writing, directing and acting roles in this movie, does all of these tasks expertly well, and I can't wait for his next project to come out.

Boy has such charm and fearlessness that most of our films refrain from using, which makes it all the more special. It can be silly without seeming stupid. It can be heart breaking but it isn't depressing. It could make you sides sore from all the laughter but you will still enjoy every second of it. Take it from me: if you aren't uplifted by this movie, you're an egg. If you miss this film, then you are one major rotten egg.

The best New Zealand made film ever. I can smell the Oscar buzz that should be surrounding this movie, too...

10/10

Watching the Detectives

I never thought I would see the day when Cillian Murphy made a comedy. Okay, so you could count Breakfast on Pluto as a comedy, but a romantic comedy? Surely it couldn't be. But that's how we got Watching the Detectives, a movie I found by chance on YOUTUBE. Sometimes that website can be so handy.
Neil (Cillian Murphy), a self proclaimed film geek and owner of Gumshoe video, has always been content to live vicariously through his favorite films noir. But when he meets Violet (Lucy Liu), a real-life femme fatale, his mundane world gets turned upside down and the line between reality and the movies quickly begins to blur. Will Neil step up and embrace a life full of adventure or retreat back to his comfortable couch?

Let me start by saying this: me and Neil are the perfect match. I could totally live with just sitting on the couch watching old movies, and it would be particularly handy if he had that video store with all the hard to find DVDs. And he is one hell of a rockstar (by the way, Cillian Murphy can sing, better than you might believe). That aside, this isn't a great movie. Sure, it may be an independent comedy headlined by two well liked stars, but it seems to go nowhere. It has a great premise too, but this seems to be a case of 'films made for film lovers that film lovers don't like'. You know, like Be Kind Rewind? That didn't exactly get the best critical rep.

Cillian powers his way through this, showing considerable comedic talent, but he has absolutely zero chemistry with his mismatched co-star Lucy Liu. The actress herself does well as Violet, considering the character is the most horrible woman one should meet, and her love for adventure is slightly scary. The script really doesn't result in much, which is a shame, because with all these films they referenced and the atmosphere it had, it could have gone places. Unfortunately, there aren't many memorable quotes. The funniest thing in the whole movie was when Cillian pulled the double fingers at the dude working at Media Giant.

Mildly fun, mostly mediocre, Watching the Detectives is by no means a must see, but I am sure fans of the two leads will enjoy the watch in some way.

4/10

Red Eye

Sometimes I find the TV so handy. Just in the midst of my Cillian Murphy obsession, I get a text from one of my friends saying that Red Eye is going to be on TV soon. I'm pretty sure my stomach did a little backflip. I had heard that this was one of Cillian's better movies, and also his real American debut (though Batman Begins was released in the same year). Hey, if looks were anything, this guy has it won.
After attending the funeral of her grandmother in Dallas, the Lux Atlantic Hotel manager Lisa (Rachel McAdams) is waiting for a flight to Miami. Due to the bad weather and consequent flight delay, she meets in the airport bar Jackson Rippner (Cillian Murphy), who is also in the waiting list. They sit together in the plane, and Jack reveals that he wants Lisa to change the room in Lux of an important American politician to facilitate a terrorist attempt against him. Otherwise, Lisa's father will be killed by a hit man. Lisa has to decide what to do with the menacing man at her side.

The one thing that terrified me the most about Red Eye was the fact that Lisa was put under so much pressure on a plane. A plane is like the scariest place on Earth. You can't just run away, because there isn't anywhere to run to. You can't just ask for help, because the only help you are going to get is by being able to run and ask for security guards. You don't have any weapons on you. While the movie isn't overtly gory, it succeeds as being a Hitchcock style psychological thriller, because when you think about it, being in this kind of situation would suck.

Even though I think the film was very well done, I unfortunately felt a little less than satisfied. This could come from my pre-concieved idea that Wes Craven made real slasher type horror films and I thought this might be like a whole plane killing spree. I defnitely thought that Jackson Rippner may have been more evil, but I seriously have nightmares about him with the pen stuck in his throat. I feel like this film will disappoint horror fans, be deemed as stupid by people who don't know a lot about film and only enjoy gross out comedies, but for just normal people who like to watch movies, it will be quite interesting and thrilling.

Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy make an interesting pair, and this film was pretty much the beginning of their burgeoning careers. McAdams is the epitome of a sweet and innocent girl under pressure and Murphy is creepy as the bad guy.

A good Wes Craven psychological thriller, just not the scary slasher movie I was expecting.

6/10