Sunday, October 31, 2010

A couple more pics from Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Just thought I'd post a couple more pics from my Halloween which happened to be yesterday.

There's a wee comparison of me and the real Eli, Lina Lendersson. Yeah, I know, I have nothing on her. But it was fun dressing up!
Me and my fellow colleagues in our Halloween costumes. We look pretty awesome!

DVD--Animal Kingdom

or: Kids and crime.


One word to sum it up: Gritty.

Imagine my delight when I found a copy of Animal Kingdom in the preview drawer. Here is a movie which I hadn't heard of until seeing a glowing five star review in an issue of Empire, and had wanted to see ever since. It had a small release here in NZ, mainly circulating through the New Zealand Film Festival, but I'm pretty sure it's still playing at many independent cinemas across the country (I'm not sure when it's out on DVD here, but I'll just say that this is a DVD review anyway). Again, Australia proves why it is the best at making compelling family dramas, adding a fantastic crime vibe which David Michod should be proud of.

After Joshua 'J' Cody's (Jame Frecheville) mother dies in front of his eyes from a self-inflicted heroin overdose, J, who is slightly detached from life, feels he has no choice but to contact his maternal grandmother, Janine "Smurf" Cody (Jacki Weaver), the family matriarch, for a place to live. Smurf rules the family with a borderline incestuous love over her three sons, the quietly menacing Andrew "Pope" Cody (Ben Mendelsohn), the hyperactive Craig Cody (Sullivan Stapleton), and the barely of age Darren Cody (Luke Ford). Pope and his best friend, Barry "Baz" Brown (Joel Edgerton), are armed robbers, with Darren their up and coming apprentice, while Craig is a mid level drug dealer. Melbourne's Armed Robbery Squad is after specifically Pope, who is hiding out. But when the standoff between the Codys and the Armed Robbery Squad is brought up a notch, an all out war ensues, with some casualties and J caught in the middle. The only grounding in J's life is his girlfriend, Nicky Henry (Laura Wheelwright). With those casualties comes an investigation by Homicide Detective Senior Sergeant Nathan Leckie (Guy Pearce), who knows the Codys are involved in some of those deaths. As Leckie tries to get J on his side, J has to figure out how best to get himself out from the middle, where he trusts neither side. J also wants to figure out how to exact what he considers justice in an all around bad situation.

The Cody's have just become the most interesting crime family to grace our screens in a long time. This family is blessed by fantastic actors who give powerhouse performances filled with aggression and barely any emotional stability. It doesn't feel like a film when you are watching it, as you are instantly drawn into to it's frighteningly realistic world. Animal Kingdom is not the kind of coming-of-age film you'd expect; however, James Frecheville's great debut performance as J pretty much epitomizes how hard it can be growing up, especially when you are surrounded by crims.

While it may look like an average crime genre violent frenzy riot, it's not. Animal Kingdom chooses not to be glorifyingly violent and packs a punch in ways we can all relate to. It asks the viewer how they would feel if they were J: having to choose between right or wrong and having to live with crims who are unpredictable at the best of times. Jacki Weaver, perhaps, has the best part of the movie, playing the strange matriarch who I couldn't quite wrap my head around, but I think that's what her point was. She deserves as many accolades as possible, she really is the pearl of the film. Animal Kingdom is a film which isn't to be missed, and is to be seen twice. David Michod is onto something big here.


THE VERDICT: David Michod crafts a superbly written and directed film, made even better by it's fearless performances that should be seen to be believed.

8/10

Saturday, October 30, 2010

My Halloween experience...

Yes, I realize that Halloween isn't until tomorrow, but at work we had to get in early coz everyone works on Saturday. Our challenge was to dress up. Everyone else did some simple scary things, I took a movie character (I wanted to dress up as Hit-Girl, but that's too much work). Which movie character?

Eli from Let the Right One In.

Just thought I'd post a couple of pictures of me as Eli. Might post some of the group pics later when they get sent to me.



There's my Halloween effort...we don't really get too into it here in New Zealand, but I take any opportunity to dress up. What are you dressing up as this Halloween, if you're dressing up at all?

Classic--Zodiac

or: Why I love quietly terrifying movies...


One word to sum it up: Terrifying.

I love David Fincher movies. There's just something about them which I love, just like there's something about Christopher Nolan movies which I love. Zodiac is no exception. It's not an all out horror or thriller, but it still managed to scare the crumbs out of me. I swear, I was biting my nails for most of this movie I was so scared.

In San Francisco, beginning in the late 1960's, a serial killer known only as 'The Zodiac Killer', taunts the local newspaper with letters using a cryptic code. Three people become particularly taken by this case: a journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) who is responsible for writing about the Zodiac's killing; Inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo) who unsuccessfully tries to hunt down the killers true identity; and cartoonist Robert Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhaal), who takes it upon himself to find the killer, while writing a book about the Zodiac.

While the fact that this film doesn't portray any of the Zodiac's infamous murders and just shows people describing what happened may not appeal to some people, this dialogue driven thriller is definitely worth the watch. It zeroes in on fear and it's reliance on describing the killings in other ways than showing them really scared the crap out of me. Fincher puts you into the film from the beginning; you sit there and listen to the Zodiac breathing down the phone, you are in the car with who might be the killer, you are writing the book with Robert Graysmith. This kind of thing isn't easily done, but I have never found a work to be so compelling over it's slightly long running time and come out of it with all these new fears awoken. Obviously, there aren't any clear answers at the end, which is when you might feel a little cheated, but what the hell? This psychological thriller is one that will mess with your head, just like the Zodiac did to all of those people.

The three main performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., and Mark Ruffalo were all top notch, and definitely deserve more credit than they got. The fact that our hero, Robert Graysmith was a little on the weak side impacted on the film: his obsession with the Zodiac was like someone who had an obsession with comics. However, David Fincher again makes a masterpiece, albeit a fearsome and challenging one, but definitely captivating. The way he directed the stabbing scene at Lake Berryessa was singlehandedly one of the most disturbing, well-composed scenes I have ever seen.


THE VERDICT: A compelling psychological thriller with amazing performance and fantastic direction from David Fincher. A clear example of why dialogue driven thrillers are more scary than tortue porn horrors.
8/10

Thursday, October 28, 2010

DVD--Brooklyn's Finest

or: Apply the brakes, kiddies.


One word to sum it up: Mindbending.

I admit, cop dramas have never really been my thing. They all seem to think that all cops are bad, and never seem to show the heroism of a cop until the very end when we have lost respect for the cops. Admittedly, I think the only cop drama I have ever liked is The Departed. I never would have watched Brooklyn's Finest had I not had to go through weeks at work seeing it's real cool trailer which was perfectly fit to Rihanna and Jay-Z's hit 'Run this Town'. Despite my reservations about it, I still couldn't help but be a little intrigued by this project by Antoine Fuqua.

In Brooklyn, amid drug deals, violence, casual racism, poverty, housing projects, and corrupt cops, we follow three officers: Tango (Don Cheadle), African-American, working undercover, believing he's earned a promotion to a desk job but told he has to set up the bust of an ex-con who saved his life; Sal (Ethan Hawke), who'll commit murder to get cash to buy a house big enough for his family; and, Eddie (Richard Gere), the precinct's oldest beat cop, a week to go before retirement, assigned to mentor an earnest rookie. Can this end well for any of the three?

Brooklyn's Finest isn't as bad as many critics would lead you to believe. It's genuinely gritty portrayal of the crimeland in Brooklyn may be something that me as a Kiwi simply couldn't believe. The performances, however, really make this movie. Though these characters are those who are often found in these types of films, the actors elevate them to new heights and make the gloriously offensive language-laden script worth the ear battering. Ethan Hawke, especially, knows how to make the audience feel for a character who has done some bad things but is still dedicated to his family. His part is by far my favourite out of the whole movie.

That aside, Brooklyn's Finest was really over-cooked. Usually multi-plot movies don't really bother me. But this one had three major seperate stories which I failed to see much connection in. Each story was overlong that the simple explanations that should have been there were replaced by curiously distant melodrama and incessant violence and aggression-fuelled conversations which went way over the top of my head. By the end, it became an all out killing spree and then the dose of heroism came...right on cue. Brooklyn's Finest was clearly confused about where it was going, but then again, when it could get its story straight, this movie really shone.


THE VERDICT: Brooklyn's Finest was really good, apart from the fact that it's multi-plot story was a little stereotypical and way too melodramatic. Performances are top rate, though.

6/10

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

DVD--Legion

or: First vampires...now angels?


One word to sum it up: Mediocre

B-grade horror+tacky cinematography+angels and religious themes+ridiculous effects+terrible shlock galore=Legion. The movie is almost all kinds of bad, which is a shame since the more than capable cast who had to ride it out in a diner for the length of this film tried so hard to elevate it from the crap that it was. It should be said that apocalyptic themes are running a little dry now. Next the gods in movieland will be wanting cats to take over our world.

An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers, mainly a pregnant waitress named Charlie (Adrianne Palicki), who are trapped in a desert diner with the Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany).

When one watches the trailer to this movie, they may feel they could look to this film as being a totally-worth-it horror which has that kind of 28 Days Later... feel to it. Maybe it could have been a great horror which has some humanism too, aided by some supernatural creatures who only want to help (along with being the bad guys). It's not. Legion lacks humanism, and also suffers from a jumpy plot which has you thinking one way and then another way the next. These characters, as different as they are, are difficult to care for, and their fight for survival just leaves you wanting to kill them (especially the Anderson's).

Another thing that makes Legion bad is the way it is shot. While it should be going for thrills, it reaches mediocrity and sometimes even unintentional laughs. It's trying so hard to be a modern B-grade horror, but takes no interest in the eccentricity needed to do that and comes across like an average made-for-TV thriller. Anyway, the film does have a strong cast who make the most of what little material they have, and make the excessive dialogue worth sitting through. While this movie strives to be an enjoyable (mostly) religious apocalyptic horror, the viewer becomes quite weary and suddenly loses interest in what could have been a fantastic and intelligent modern horror.

THE VERDICT: Devoid of thrills, apart from the ones seen in the trailer, Legion, unfortunately, fails to be a great apocalyptic horror and succumbs to mediocrity, much to the dismay of the viewer.

4/10

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

10 quotes from Fight Club that deserve to be in a modern bible.

Edward Norton as Narrator. The guy is seriously fucked up.
Fight Club has officially changed the way I see the world. No, I am not running off to go and punch some random people, but there are some quotes which some people really should adopt as their motto in life. These are mostly spoken by Tyler Durden. Who knew Brad Pitt could really be God?


Use soap. That's the first of Tyler's philosophies.

"Only after disaster can we be resurrected."-Tyler Durden

"It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything."-Tyler Durden 

"The things you own end up owning you."-Tyler Durden

"Listen to me! You have to consider the possibility that God does not like you. He never wanted you. In all probability, he hates you. This is not the worst thing that can happen."-Tyler Durden

"If you wake up at a different time in a different place, could you wake up as a different person?"-Narrator

 "Without pain, without sacrifice, we would have nothing. Like the first monkey shot into space."-Tyler Durden 

"I flipped through catalogues and wondered: What kind of dining set defines me as a person?"-Narrator

"With insomnia, nothing's real. Everything's far away, everything's a copy."-Narrator

"Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat. It's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go! LET GO!"-Tyler Durden

"Fuck what you know. You need to forget about what you know, that's your problem. Forget about what you think you know about life, about friendship, and especially about you and me."-Tyler Durden 


I think Fight Club is one of the most philosophical movies of all time. In it's own, dark little way.

Monday, October 25, 2010

DVD--Leap Year

or: Another reason as to why I love Amy Adams.


One word to sum it up: *sighs* (I realize that's not a word, but...)

Author's note: The following was written in the last hour of a social studies exam on the back of a wordfind about fishes. Don't worry, I did do the exam (and the wordfind).

I am very proud to say that I have watched nearly every Amy Adams movie in existence, and plan to continue to watch all of her movies until she retires. Why? Because I fell in love with her in Enchanted, and no matter what she does, she always lights up the screen with her charming and bubbling nature. This is evident in her recent (and largely unknown) film Leap Year, where she and dashing co-star Matthew Goode practically give us a tour of Ireland.

A successful woman, Anna (Amy Adams) who has an elaborate scheme to propose to her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) on Leap Day, an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around, faces a major setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin. With the help of an innkeeper, Declan (Matthew Goode), however, her cross-country odyssey just might result in her getting engaged.

No, Leap Year isn't great, and it doesn't try to recreate the romance genre. However, from the very beginning, it doesn't set out to be a normal fluffed up romantic comedy, as it doesn't have pop music blaring out in the most inappropriate scenes and doesn't attempt to make the film glossy in any way. That may be a good thing, but without those factors the film feels kinda dull and mediocre, and puts a constant shadow of the films amiable funny parts. It comes out like a bit of a black and white photocopy of other romantic comedies, and did give me a serious case of deja vu. It's about as gooder film as Letters to Juliet, but has some certain merits which elevate it from generic rom-com material.

Amy Adams eliminates the dullness by charming her way into our hearts and making this film somewhat worth while. Though she isn't playing a totally flamboyant character a la Delysia Lafosse, she gives the material her best shot and wins us all over. Matthew Goode, too, completes the perfect couple we actually like to watch on screen. And he can actually act too, which is a little strange looking at past male rom-com figures. They save the film from it's flatness, and thank God they are there too. Leap Year is quite frankly really predictable, and is written by a person who probably hasn't ever seen a romatic comedy (because all of the cliches), but Amy Adams, Matthew Goode and a great supporting performance from Ireland's scenery makes it worth the 90 minutes. If you can handle it.


THE VERDICT: It's predictability, cliche ridden script and mediocre direction let it down, but Amy Adams and Matthew Goode don't.

5/10

DVD--Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

or: No, video games shouldn't be adapted into films.

One word to sum it up: Unsurprising.

Jake Gyllenhaal: Academy Award nominated actor, a critically sought after actor and also a very good looking one. So what the hell was he doing in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time? Was it just an excuse for him to get beefier and get some more lady admirers? Or was it so he could fight a snake (because everyone wants to do that)? Or was it because he wanted to go into unknown and what should be condemned territory: the video game adaption? Because as far as I am concerned, this Jerry Bruckheimer action/fantasy mish-mash should have really been left in the Xbox console.

Adopted from the streets of Nasaf by King Sharaman of Persia, young Dastan (Jake Gyllenhaal) grows up amongst royalty and quickly earns his place as a mighty warrior and prince. As his brothers Garsiv and Tus plan battle strategies, a spy sends word that the Holy City of Alamut has been supplying weapons to enemies of Persia. Taking matters into his own hands, Tus orders an attack on the sacred city and upon its fall Dastan encounters the beautiful Princess Tamina (Gemma Arterton). When King Sharaman dies under mysterious circumstances shortly after, and Dastan is accused of his murder, he flees with the princess on a harrowing mission to clear his name. Learning from Tamina the true motives behind Alamut's invasion, Dastan must embark on a perilous quest to stop an evil mastermind's plot for ultimate power with a mystical weapon that can control the very fabric of time.

Ah...yeah. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time was almost death-defyingly bad for me, only saved by whimsical performances from lovely leads Jake Gyllenhaal and Gemma Arterton. But even then, Gyllenhaal missed the mark, as in many places his over-blown muscles became the saving grace when his strange British/American/African/Asian accent fell through. This movie was kinda like a generic daytime soap stuck in the middle of a desert a few hundred years ago. Everything said is unfortunately badly written and passes off as something out of a Michael Bay movie. In fact, Michael Bay could have directed this. It was just another summer blockbuster which had money thrown at it instead of true thought.

Remember Clash of the Titans? Well, this movie ain't too unlike that one. It's filled with some 'what-the-hell is happening now?!' moments. It has a fight sequence which involve Jake Gyllenhaal and a snake (I think at this point I was pissing myself laughing. I mean, a snake? Seriously? That kind of stuff is for those outback snake wranglers). It uses sets which are totally computer generated that they still have the glow from the computer screen setting the brightness up a notch. It has Gemma Arterton. One thing this film doesn't have in common with Clash of the Titans is the fact that it is adapted from a video game and therefore doesn't succeed. I will keep this belief until somebody can recommend me a video game adaption which is really good. And that is just about as impossible as making me like Twilight.


THE VERDICT: Gives A Nightmare on Elm Street a run for it's money in being the worst movie of 2010.

2/10

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Memories...

This scene in Inception made me bawl my eyes out. No I just about felt the same as I did when watching it. WARNER BROS. wants to make an Inception sequel.

No.

Just NO.

Seriously, it will fail...especially because I doubt Chris Nolan will be back to direct it. He wanted the end to be a 'did it or didn't it' kind of thing. We want to leave it that way. Seriously, if this ludicrous idea gets the go-ahead, well have some shitty director and possibly a straight-to-DVD title and probably about seven sequels.

Just coz it made money, doesn't mean we need another one. We could watch Inception a million times without getting bored. So, no, it won't please anyone.

Even though I heard some stupid pissed off people at the cinemas saying 'I hope there is a sequel' just because they wanted to find out if the spinning top dropped or not. Save us all the horror of an un-Chris Nolan'ed sequel and think of the answer yourself. That's why it was made that way.

Lots of love,

Stevee

xoxo

DVD--How to Train Your Dragon

or: Animated movies do it again.

One word to sum it up: Delightful.

Sometimes I wonder why animated films are so sucessful with both critics and audiences. I'm fairly certain that animated films do better than the actual live action ones. However, when I look at the evidence (i.e. every movie ever made by PIXAR), it's easy to see why these animated movies are such a hit. They can be as imaginative as they want to be, if they entertain the kids then they can entertain just about anyone, and most of these films are cleverly scripted. Even though I am a little skeptical about animated movies which aren't made by PIXAR, Dreamwork's didn't do a bad job on How to Train Your Dragon, a film which provides futher evidence that animated films are the best entertainment around at the moment.

Long ago up North on the Island of Berk, the young Viking, Hiccup (voiced by Jay Bauchel), wants to join his town's fight against the dragons that continually raid their town. However, his macho father and village leader, Stoik the Vast (Gerard Butler) , will not allow his small, clumsy, but inventive son to do so. Regardless, Hiccup ventures out into battle and downs a mysterious Night Fury dragon with his invention, but can't bring himself to kill it. Instead, Hiccup and the dragon, whom he names Toothless, begin a friendship that would open up both their worlds as the observant boy learns that his people have misjudged dragons. But even as the two each take flight in their own way, they find that they must fight the destruction which is coming for their world.

To be perfectly honest, I was disappointed with How to Train Your Dragon, but I guess that was because this movie was given heaps of hype in it's cinema release, and failed to reach my high expectations. Despite my disappointment, I still absolutely adored the movie, as I do with any other animated flick. From the beginning it is cleverly funny; it seems to use it's intelligence as it's sense of humour, and I really admired that. Because of that trait, the film will obviously be a hit with the older generations too, making this a great watch for the whole family. How to Train Your Dragon follows a very basic formula to a successful childrens film: dazzling action sequences, a great ensemble of funny characters and a message. That formula, like always, works to its advantage.

In the way of voices, How to Train Your Dragon has a lot of charming people making up the wide variety of characters. Sometimes these voices seem a little stiff (particularly Jay Baruchel's), but this barely matters when all the films flaws are covered up by it's instant entertainment and happiness. Seriously, the movie won't fail to make you laugh lots, grin from ear to ear, and keep you entertained for 90 minutes, no matter your age.


THE VERDICT: How to Train Your Dragon is a sweet and ultimately entertaining family film, which is more than capable to give those PIXAR movies a run for their money.

7/10

Rewind--28 Weeks Later...

or: Days turn into weeks...for no apparent reason.


One word to sum it up: Gory.

I wouldn't have watched 28 Weeks Later..., the sequel to 28 Days Later..., had it not been on TV one night. I mean, the first didn't exactly demand a sequel, and seeing that it was directed by someone other than Danny Boyle kinda put me off a bit. Horror sequels, in my mind, barely ever work because they go for the whole 'let's be bigger and better than the first' aspect instead of actually worrying about viewers tastes. While 28 Weeks Later... doesn't try too hard to be better than the first (because it's damn near impossible to try and emulate what 28 Days Later... achieved), it still can't capture what made 28 Days Later... great and uses excessive gore as a replacement.

In the country nearby London, Don (Robert Carlyle), his wife Alice (Catherine McCormack) and a few survivors live hidden in a farmhouse. When infected people break in the house, Dan panics and does not help his wife to escape, running away and leaving Alice trapped inside the room. Twenty eight weeks after the outbreak that annihilated the population of Great Britain, London is considered safe and the British survivors return under the coordination of the American Army, that keeps the city under permanent surveillance. The teenager Tammy (Imogen Poots) and her younger brother Andy (Mackintosh Muggleton) travel back from Spain to live with their father Don in London. They miss their mother and decide to escape to their old house to retrieve pictures and some other personal belongings. However, they find Alice surprisingly alive and the Army brings her to the base. After some blood test, the biologist Scarlet (Rose Byrne) discovers that Alice is a carrier of the lethal virus and somehow has immunity to it...

The problem with 28 Weeks Later... is that it focuses way too much on being a gory zombie horror than a fight-to-survive humanist horror like the original. Don't get me wrong, it is a fine sequel. But sometimes, like most sequels do, it left me wondering why they made a second installment in the first place. 28 Weeks Later... does a good job of capturing London reconstructing itself after the outbreak, and plunges the viewer into a labyrinth of safety-that-isn't-all-that-safe. It makes itself become a survival guide for if these events actually really happened, and I'd imagine if they were make packs on outbreak survival, this movie should be right in there.

Sometimes it feels scary and original, continuing on with the real looking zombies and thrilling zombie/human chase scenes. Other times, it feels like it's trying too hard to be the original. It kept playing 'In the house-In a heartbeat' during action sequences, which didn't feel right because that song was perfect for the climax in 28 Days Later... The direction is also trying to be like Danny Boyle's. Truth is, only Danny Boyle can do something so visionary. It is a solid sequel, and raises some questions about our future and what could happen, but lacks the humanism that made the first one so great.


THE VERDICT: A lock, stock and barrel horror which is both gory and cleverly scary, but of course, it isn't as good as the first. Danny Boyle could have made it better.

6/10

Friday, October 22, 2010

Rewind--The Black Balloon

or: The Australian version of What's Eating Gilbert Grape.

One word to sum it up: Heart-breaking.

Usually, I tend not to watch Australian films. Maybe it's because of this love/hate relationship we have with the country here in New Zealand, or maybe it's because their films have always been meddling in the over-dramatic stuff. The Black Balloon, on a whole, didn't surprise me, as it was very Australian. That aside, this is a film which anyone could have made, but the Australian's seemed to have done it right.

Thomas (Rhys Wakefield) is a normal kid. His mother (Toni Collette) is pregnant, and his family has just moved to a new town. His brother, Charlie (Luke Ford), is severely autistic. When Thomas is put in charge of Charlie, he has to live with the embarrassments Charlie makes of him in public, and also the fact that Charlie makes trouble when Thomas is out with the girl he is in love with, Jackie (Gemma Ward). Thomas just wants to be normal, but is that possible with Charlie around?

While watching The Black Balloon, I found so many similarities to What's Eating Gilbert Grape that I was beginning to wonder if it was just an Australian rehash of that film. It's not, really, because The Black Balloon seems to be more of a family drama. One thing the Australian's are good at it making believable family portraits which we can all relate to, instead of succumbing to the wildly outrageous American stereotypes. Beneath the family drama, this film is a naive romance and conjures up the theme of friendship, too. It never becomes schmaltzy and never asks the viewer to feel for the characters, because you just do. Never once would you feel like the script is trying too hard to get emotional, or trying too hard to get you to cry. It's natural fragility and thought-provoking material makes this a film which is hard to slam down.

Luke Ford impresses the most, using the Method to perfectly create Charlie in a performance as worthy as Leonardo DiCaprio's in WEGG. Rhys Wakefield and Gemma Ward both ooze out the innocence of youth and do some pretty sweet performing. Toni Collette, as always, shines. The Black Balloon will dive you into sadness and loneliness, but ultimately you will come out of the film smiling. It doesn't ask for much, just an open-minded watch. Do that and this little indie should take you places the average American family drama can't.


THE VERDICT: A geniunely sweet yet harrowing coming-of-age story, which is tender but never too schmaltzy. Excels as a family based drama.

8/10

Thursday, October 21, 2010

365 Days Later...

Yes, this day, 21st October in 2009, I started this blog, for no particular reason at all. Okay, well, I did start it because I had a genius idea to watch a movie a day until the end of November. I did so, and even after that ended, I continued to post my rather juvenile reviews on here. Looking back on the past year, I have done things which I never really expected to do when I opened this blog. So, naturally, I am pretty excited about my first blog birthday!

Anyway, here is a list of major achievements and things I have learnt in this past year (I like lists...maybe this might be useful for some other budding bloggies!):

-It all started with Let the Right One In. I remember watching this film (actually on 18th October, it just took me a while to post a review) and thinking, 'I must write something about that...it was really beautiful'. I wrote something about it, and I must admit, my whole style has changed alot since then. See how short the review was? Moral of the story is: you ain't gonna be great from the very beginning. Some of the posts I have are really crap, but when you get the right time and the right movie, great things happen.

-A review on The Proposal changed things. Okay, I'm over-dramatizing that. A month into this blog, with some advice from a few teachers, I decided to show the local paper what I could do. Turns out, I was very good at writing movie reviews, and I got my own column in the paper for my reviews (starting with The Proposal), every Monday. Now I have people recognizing me in the supermarket praising my work, and apparently people buy paper's specially on Monday coz I am in there. I am personally very proud of that, and I love the way people react when they find out that Dannevirke News' movie reviewer is only 15 years old.
Here's a clipping from the paper:


-I was excited about Inception on January 31st.

-God, I remember this day. Sometimes I go off track, but I tend not to treat this blog as a diary. But then again, sometimes I just wanna let you know what's going on in my life, which I think is okay. Seriously, there aren't any rules to blogging. If I feel like shit, I might just post about it. But usually I try to keep it all movie related. You do what you want with your blog; I can guarantee you that somebody will read it.

-My off month was pretty much May. I know exactly why this was, too. I was preoccupied by other things which I don't feel the need to discuss on the interweb...*grins*. I think I stress too much about how often I am posting, because sometimes I get really pissed when some of my favourite blogs don't post in ages. I don't know if I'm anyone's favourite blog, but I'm sorry to anyone who missed me in May, I couldn't help it!

-This post put me on the map. In the blogosphere, so to speak. One night I decided to vent about the Let the Right One In remake, Let Me In. I mean, considering this was the first movie I reviewed, it had a special spot in my heart. I do take some of my harshness back, because I see that Let Me In has been getting great reviews...but there wasn't any need to remake it. However, this post got linked on Encore's World of Film & TV, which is a pretty well respected blog (and one of my favourites). I was so excited, it was the first time I had ever been linked!



-Christopher 'God' Nolan became one of my favourite people to talk about on June 17th. Which was ironic because by then, I had only seen The Dark Knight and The Prestige. Roll on forward a few months and I am proud to say I have watched (and loved) every single one. Trust me, every time I see the name 'Christopher Nolan', I go all gooey and almost fanboy-like inside.
*I enjoy talking about Leonardo DiCaprio too.

-It was clear that I was pretty excited for Inception by June's end. I dedicated an entire post to the three trailers, which is apparently the most popular post I have ever done. So it should be, too, I spent five hours on it (I was pretty tired after the production had ended though...so that's why it took me so long).

-I became the 613th LAMB! Your movie blog ain't a movie blog until you are a LAMB!


-And then I finally got to see Inception. It soon became my second favourite movie of all time. The first time I walked out of the cinemas in tears from it's greatness (yes, it was strange, but I couldn't help it!). The second time (three days later) I still cried and managed to wow some of my friends in a way they hadn't been wowed before. The third time I went with more friends (for my birthday, I mean how often do I get to watch do two of my favourite things--watch a movie at the cinemas and watch a Christopher Nolan movie--for my birthday?!). Turns out, that was one of the best days of my life.

-I hate Nic Cage, but this post based around his hair has to be one of the favourite I have ever done. A real highlight in my blog life.

-Most of all, I found out that blogging is fun. Being part of this blogosphere has made me feel...special? I don't know, yet, it means a lot to me. The fact that I still watch three movies in one night even though I have study for important exams just so I can give you my opinion on a movie you would have seen months ago...it adds a lot of fun to my life. Knowing that I am good at something and I always want to better myself gives me something to strive for. This all sounds as cliched as Letters to Juliet but it is true. Blogging pretty much completes me.

So if you are a new bloggy, take some advice from me: your blog won't be perfect from the start. You might not have heaps of followers, but they come. Just keep getting better and better, tweaking things to just the way you want them, and the people will come. Also, don't make plans for the future of your blog. If you let everything just fall into place, then you will have one of the reminiscing moments and you will see how far you have come. I mean, this ain't bad for a thing I started as an online diary about movies.

Time to thank a few people:

My friends. Especially you, Maxine, you are always on here. Seriously, everytime I hear you guys have seen my blog, it makes me extremely happy.

The people on Facebook who go to my school and read my blog. It's really surprising when people say 'I've been on your blog and it's awesome', even though they are in a completely different year group and I barely know them! I guess I should be thanking Mark Zuckerberg now, too...

Film Intel I keep finding my quotes on some of the reviews. It makes me insanely happy! Great blog too, definitely check it out.

Any other blog I follow which has inspired me in some way or another.

You, my follower, my reader, the person who makes my day.

My parents for buying me a laptop so it's easier for me to blog all the time (okay, that wasn't the reason they bought it for me...but anyway...)

Lastly, Blockbuster Dannevirke. For all those times I have got movies out. I am seriously lucky I don't have to pay for them...

Oh well, that's a lengthy birthday post from me. Sorry if it bored you, but I'm just amazed at how far I have come. Here's to my first blog-birthday, and hopefully a few more to come!

Monday, October 18, 2010

Shooting A Single Man

Being made by a fashion designer, Tom Ford, A Single Man was always going to be a beautifully dressed up movie. There are scenes in this movie which seem to perfectly describe the whole movie with their lyrical beauty and spellbinding nature. This movie is the perfect example of why fashion and movies should get together more often.


George finds himself, waking up from what looks like a restless sleep, which a jar of ink spilled over his sheets. He dabs a bit of ink on his finger and puts it up to his lips. I don't know exactly what it is about that scene, whether it be the sadness we are feeling for a character we barely even know yet, or the sheer profoundness we have of loneliness and our ability to connect to his situation. Seeing George, lying there, thinking about taking the first step to his day, is something that we all understand, but it isn't a feeling we like to feel often.


Ah, the beauty of Julianne Moore is enough to make me weak. Here, unlike George, her character is thrown at us in the first minutes she appears. She seems like an uptight drama queen who likes to party and does so to forget about her miserable past life. Charley may be aging, but she knows exactly what life is and knows how she wants to spend it, even if that means trying in the hardest way to get what she wants. This scene shows that...the way she leans back, deeply pleased with herself, in that sort of 'I just got what I want' kind of way.


One of the things I love about A Single Man is that it is an observation of a day, and doesn't spare any moments which would have been cut in a more precisely edited film. George's commute to work-a slow motion piece down his street-adequately shows his relationships with the people he sees most: his neighbours. His observations of them is that Mrs. Strunk is a highly strung housewife who can't help but feel a little disappointed with her life. If she had her way, she would still be a singer. Instead, she has a few kids (one which is a little brat) and a husband to tend to. George feels sorry for their lives, as they are living within the limits of a suburban lifestyle. Sounds a little like Revolutionary Road, yes?


I love these two. Well, mostly Nicholas Hoult. Every time they appear together on screen they are like real-life models on a magazine page. They're young, they're insanely good-looking, and they are hip. Lois is pretty much a walking cigarette ad, and Kenny is just a picture of innocence and beauty. I still don't get their relationship they had going on, but who cares? They're very good to look at, so nothing else matters.


The scene where George meets Mrs. Strunk and her daughter in town is a very interesting one. Jennifer, the daughter, approaches George innocently but you can tell she feels a little threatened by his quiet and often distant nature. This scene only makes the whole thing even more sad because Jennifer obviously wants to get to know her neighbour a bit better; Mrs. Strunk invites him around to a party, an invitation which he rejects because...well, you know why. I'm sure George continues to feel sorry for their lives: sweet natured people trapped in a suburban dream. I feel sorry for Mrs. Strunk. I mean, look at how wonderful she looks? And look at how bored she is with her life.

This is my personal favourite shot of the whole movie. The contrast of the pink Californian sky (seen later in the same scene) and this huge billboard for Psycho is literally one of the most beautifully disturbing things I have ever seen. I guess this background sort of symbolizes George's annoyance with life and how everybody sees him (because he is gay). Major WIN for the art design department!

Carlos. That's all I have to say about that.


The suicide kit. Everything George needs to end his life. This shot is so sombre but also has a dark humour to it: George is very organized and ensures that he goes out with a bang (get it? Okay, I know that was bad taste...)

Charley is the epitome of a flawed masterpiece. On the outside, she seems perfect; however, the cracks of her past and the aging that is seeping through them are starting to show. This adequately describes her character. Charley regrets most of her life, has decided now that she wants to get the most out of it while she still can, and has a longing love for her friend George, someone she knows she can't have. She's almost like a teenager trapped inside an adults body.


Two fractured souls in a conversation, mainly about all the things they regret in life. I really hope that one day I don't turn out like either of them. But I think that's what we are all destined for.


Nicholas Hoult and that sweater! Usually, a simple sweater doesn't completely compliment a character, but in this case it does. That sweater pretty much makes sure the camera can caress Nicholas Hoult's face and give him all the charm and innocence in the world. What that sweater does is devestatingly beautiful. And I'm pretty sure it symbolizes peace in George's life since Kenny seems like an almost God-like figure in the unfurling of George's day. Kenny meant the difference between George's depression and George's eventual happiness.


George comes to the realization that life is still worth living and has undone the whole movie for us. I felt really happy then, like all that weight had been lifted off my shoulders.


But...kill me now. Thanks for making me cry for hours.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

DVD--The Losers

or: Ah...the winners?

One word to sum it up: Cool (as).

Even though I am always strangely drawn to adrenaline filled action films and comic book movies (I'm pretty sure like half of my Top 50 favourite movies are action films), I really thought I wouldn't like The Losers. To be honest, the name put me off a bit, and so did Zoe Saldana, who, thanks to Avatar, is now seen to be an international godess. Yeah, she's a good actress, but there's no need for her to walk around in films like she is Megan Fox or something. However, I secretly hoped for the day when I could use the following cliched line to describe the film: "The Losers is a winner!" I think that adequately sums it up.

The Losers centres around the members of an elite Special Forces unit sent to the Bolivian jungle on a search-and-destroy mission. But the team-Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Columbus Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada)-soon find that they have become the target of a deadly double cross instigated by a powerful enemy known only as Max (Jason Patric). Making good use of the fact that they’re now presumed dead, the group goes deep undercover in a dangerous plot to clear their names and even the score with Max. They are joined by the mysterious Aisha (Zoe Saldana), a beautiful operative with her own agenda and capable of scoring a few points of her own. If they can take down Max and save the worlds at the same time, it’ll be a win-win for the team now known as 'The Losers'.

I really, really enjoyed The Losers. More than a girl my age should, I might add. It has everything the average action fan could want: a really cool direction style which takes some inspiration from the original comic to make it shine; a truly great cast who don't get lost in everything that is happening and actually remember to act; and, well, it's unrelentingly violent, which proved to be a little too much for me, but I'm sure others will absolutely relish in it. The characters are what really make this movie, though. They are all extremely different, which makes for a colourful ensemble which are a delight to watch...even if one or two times I didn't know why they were shooting at someone or blowing something up.

You wanna know why I really enjoyed The Losers? The character of Jensen, who is played by Chris Evans. He is hilarious; a super intelligent nerd who likes role-playing. Trust me, Jensen makes the movie. Of course, the film's success doesn't just lie with a single character, but if you remember anything from the movie, it'll be Jensen. And then you are likely to remember how awesome it is, how mind-blowingly violent it is, and if you're a guy, probably how hot Zoe Saldana is. It's not a movie which breaks boundaries in terms of action films, but it sure is worth the watch.


THE VERDICT: A fantastically made action films which does have a little too much going on, but ultimately satisfies the viewer thanks to a great ensemble cast.

8/10

DVD--A Nightmare on Elm Street

or: Modern horrors suck, example #685624863201

One word to sum it up: WHY?!

I am probably the most sadistic movie lover in the world (although I am sure there are people who are like me out there). Even though I am told by thousands of people and low ratings that a movie sucks, I will still watch it. Even though I know that it is really going to suck, I will still watch it. I knew A Nightmare on Elm Street would suck...but not as much as it did...

Death stalks the dreams of several young adults to claim its revenge on the killing of Freddy Kruger (Jackie Earle Haley). Chased and chastised by this finger-bladed demon, it is the awakening of old memories and the denials of a past of retribution that spurns this hellish vision of a dreamlike state and turns death into a nightmare reality.

Obviously, being a remake, this film wasn't really ever going to succeed. Sure, films like Let Me In have been just about as good as the original, but why couldn't this one be? Because the original was so 1980's, had Robert Englund playing Freddy and could convert a cheap horror into a film with lots of worthy scares. This version was so 2000's, had Jackie Earle Haley (unfortunately) playing Freddy and had enough money thrown at it that the cheap horror of it couldn't be converted into anything else but a trainwreck. As if we haven't seen enough of whiny teenagers getting terrorized by horrible creatures. Some movies, no matter how good they were, should never be remade.

There isn't anything that can save this film. Even Rooney Mara, who I was sorta impressed with (though I'm sure I'll be more impressed with her in The Social Network and hopefully The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), could not save any part of this movie. It's poorly, poorly scripted, and most of the dialogue feels like it just come out of one of the Twilight movies or something. Freddy Kruger wasn't even scary, and was really the victim of bad CGI. I really feel sorry for Jackie Earle Haley for ever having something to do with the film. I'm not prepared to give this film the lowest rating, as it had a few minor merits. Otherwise, it's a simple must-avoid.

My message to the film-makers: leave the dream stuff for Christopher Nolan, the franchise for Wes Craven and the 1980's, and Freddy for Robert Englund. And please, please, for the love of God, do NOT make another one! I know that was a bit of a 'to be continued' ending, but so was Inception's, and there ain't gonna be a sequel to that. If there is going to be a sequel to this, I might just die.


THE VERDICT: Shit. Just pure shit.

2/10

DVD--Solitary Man

or: Aging disgracefully.


One word to sum it up: Condescending.

With all the the news surrounding Michael Douglas of late, because of the recent release of Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and his diagnosis with throat cancer, I felt surprisingly drawn to watch one of his more recent releases, Solitary Man. This movie just seemed to drift in from nowhere, and also got some pretty good reviews along the way, not to mention the fact that Jesse Eisenberg (with a really great cast) makes an appearance. Not bad for a movie which just turns up on the shelf with no warning.

Ben Kalman (Michael Douglas) is aging: he has heart problems, his marriage is over, he's lost a fortune after being caught cutting corners in his East Coast car business, and he's sleeping with as many women as possible - the younger the better. He's chosen his current girlfriend, Jordan (Mary-Louise Parker), because her father can help him get a new auto dealership; she's asked him to escort her daughter, Allyson (Imogen Poots), 18, on a visit to a Boston college campus. He behaves badly, and there are consequences to his love life, his finances, and his relationship with his daughter (Jenna Fischer) and grandson. Is there anywhere he can turn?

To be honest, I really couldn't understand the premise of this film, mainly because I haven't lived enough to be able to connect with the messages that this film dishes out left right and centre. That aside, the central character in the film, Ben, is extremely hard to connect with, because he is amazingly cold and purely heartless. But hey, when you have Michael Douglas in the role, he can pull it off, and the character doesn't become so annoying, thus lifting the whole film. It's miserable material: the film is centred on one horrible guy's relationships and wants in life, while he is aging and deteriorating in health. Not once does it let up and try and turn itself into a happy fluffy piece of film...it has a dark look on the matter and remains dark for an hour and a half.

This is maybe what Gran Torino would have been like had Michael Dogulas been in the lead role and that role was a bit of a ladies man. But it makes itself to be a little more of a Wall Street type film, with all the greed and whatnot. Unfortunately, it wasn't at good as it's rave reviews said it would be, but maybe I'm a little too young to be meddling in this sort of material. However, on a whole, this is an accurate portrayal of aging in the most disgraceful way possible.


THE VERDICT: With a great central performance which lifts the films material up a notch, Solitary Man isn't fantastic, but it's surprisingly good for a small movie about one person's relationships.

6/10

Friday, October 15, 2010

I can't even be bothered reviewing White Chicks

and if you saw me now you'd be like this...I know I'm slacking off on the job.

In a few words: it sucked, and I really don't get why people my age love it so much. I mean, it's kinda funny, but it just depends where your movie maturity level is at. Mine's definitely not the same as other people's my age. And I felt like I had seen this before.

Anyhoo, why did I abandon my blog for a little while? School. Nearly failed an exam (got another four next week), had to do a whole research project on global warming, and had to prepare for speech finals...doing a speech which I hadn't done since the day after I first saw Inception (which was a damn long time ago, July 23rd, to be exact.) Good news though...

I won my speech final!


^my victory dance=)

This means a lot to me because I have been trying to win a speech competition for six years, but I always come third. And this year, my final year to compete, I finally won. My topic was Facebook, so now I should thank that wonderful website, Mark Zuckerberg (whom I dislike immensely after reading The Accidental Billionaires), Eduardo Saverin (my hero), and all my stalker friends who inspired my speech.
...and that was the only acceptance speech I'll ever have to do.
So happiness all-round! Expect a bit of a run from me when I try and clear out my queue of reviews...

Monday, October 11, 2010

DVD--Rocket Science

or: Another quirky indie...but no one said that quirky indies were bad...

One word to sum it up: Indie (yes, that is a possible word to sum this movie up).

The joys of searching through the preview drawer. Usually, the movies are awful and painfully cheap action films or the really really quirky indies that may be so indie that no one has ever heard of them and therefore no one ever watches them. But sometimes, on very limited ocassions, the preview drawer will get some normal and quite good movies (last year, I discovered Let the Right One In in there...and how well our relationship turned out!). Rocket Science seemed to fit in the category of perfectly normal and good movies in the preview drawer...but may run the risk of being an indie which is so indie that no one will watch it.

High school student Hal Hefner (Reece Daniel Thompson) stutters. On the evening his parents stop arguing and separate, 43 miles away at the state tournament, his school's legendary debater, Ben Wekselbaum (Nicholas D'Agosto), goes blank mid-sentence, Ben's teammate Ginny Ryerson (Anna Kendrick) doesn't get a first-place trophy, and the world changes. That fall, to Hal's amazement, Ginny recruits him for the debate team, mentors him, and will be his partner. He still has his stutter, but he works hard and he falls in love with Ginny. On the day of the first debate of the season, the world changes again. From then until the day of the state tournament, Hal has a lot to sort out.

There is no denying that Rocket Science is a typical indie. It has all the quirks, a deft sense of humour, and those homely set pieces which make never fails to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. However, there are many reasons as to why this film should be seen. The first is a nice and harmonious connection between the writer/director Jeffrey Blitz and his characters. He obviously treats the characters as if they were people at his school and attends to each of them with such adoration that you can't help but feel connected in some way to them as well. Trust me, you may find yourself in each of these characters.

Secondly, there are the people who are playing the characters. Reece Daniel Thompson is in perfect form, even though he looks a lot younger than his age, as Hal, and you can't help but put your heart out to the poor stuttering guy. Anna Kendrick shows why she is an Oscar nominated actress and why she has more of a future than her Twilight co-stars. She just exudes such a naive want to be an adult in this role, and plays the over achieving teenager we all love to hate so well that really makes me wonder: why is no one picking up on this film and her superior talents?

Finally, this movie draws so many similarities to films like Napoleon Dynamite, but yet, it has that John Hughes kind of feel about it. There, I said it. This film is remarkably like a smaller scale modern take on a John Hughes film. And it does that thing really well. So, with some reasons to watch Rocket Science, are there any reasons not to? It may not be one of the most perfect films ever, and it does sometimes drag. But you should definitely see Rocket Science. Put it on you Netflix queue (man, I wish I could get one of those) or whatever, and you won't be disappointed (hopefully).


THE VERDICT: Quirky indies are good, and Rocket Science is no exception. The connection between the writer and the characters and the audience makes this film a clear winner and an understated gem.

7/10

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Thoughts I had while working in Blockbuster for a week...

Seriously, working a video store all week, it really gets your game up. Like, I had to clean every shelf in that shop, and I kept finding all these movies I had no idea existed. Same with the trailer loop disc...there were all these trailers for these movies which I once had no interest in seeing, but then the trailers made them look kinda interesting. So here are some things I noticed and things that happened in my week of labouring to pay my Dad back for all the money I spent on my holiday...

Aaron Johnson is frickin gorgeous.


There were two trailers of him on the loop disc: Nowhere Boy and Kick-Ass. I knew exactly when they were coming on, too (Nowhere Boy after New York, I Love You and Kick-Ass after Iron Man 2), so I would stop what I was doing and just watch them. Like one of those chicks who like to gawk at Robert Pattinson every time they see something mildly like him within a ten metre radius of them. Okay, so maybe I wasn't kissing the TV screen or anything...but Aaron Johnson is simply...perfection. Oh, and he has a really good Top 5 Favourite Movies too...check it out! He loves Tarantino and Fincher! I think I just fell in love with him...again.

Rob Schneider just...pops up...out of nowhere.


Particularly in teen movies, looking like a real perve. Just look at the posters for American Virgin and Wild Cherry. And while we are on the subject of American Virgin...well, I haven't seen it, but, by judging by it's DVD cover, there are three reasons why I don't want to see it:
1. Jenna Dewan, on that cover, looks strangely like Katie Price.
2. I'm pretty sure I have seen it all before in another movie.
3. Why is it called American Virgin? I mean, I get that the chick is a virgin, and she's American, but is that supposed to mean that she is the only American virgin? I just don't get it.

People still wanna watch Robin Hood.


It has been out for like, two weeks? And people still go up and grab it as soon as they walk into the shop. God knows why. I mean, surely that cover with Russell Crowe's face isn't that appealing, is it?

Sex and the City 2 looks like it has more CGI than Avatar.


Like, in some scenes, Sarah Jessica Parker's face looks like it is going to fall off, and she looks a little too old to be wearing whatever it is she wears in that movie. Kim Catrall, however, looks like a person who has been attacked by photoshop and is stuck like that. And seriously, did we need a movie about whiny middle aged woman in Abu Dhabi? No. But despite all this, I am looking forward to watching this movie upon it's DVD release next month. Coz, you know, I can RIP IT TO SHREDS!

The horror section is always a mess...


...but I make the time to dig up Let the Right One In and display it in the most prominent way. That movie has rented out a lot since we I got it. That movie wouldn't have been in the shop if it weren't for me. I ordered it for myself, got sick of waiting and found it elsewhere, and then it just turned up in the store so they had to put it out for rent. It gives me such pleasure when I see it isn't there.

Sequels happen.


I, until last month, was totally unaware of three sequels which happened. The first one was Stomp the Yard: Homecoming (do we have to talk about how ridiculously stupid the cover looks?), a movie which they had ordered 14 copies of. And guess what?! The most I ever saw rented of it was one copy. One copy per day...loads of profit. The second was St. Trinians II: The Legend of Fritton's Gold. It features Rupert Everett making jokes about Lady Gaga, Colin Firth being 'sexy' with a soaked shirt, the guy off Doctor Who, Gemma Arterton with a longer version of the hairstyle she wore in the first film, Talulah Riley who was Eames in Inception, girls screaming, a big dance off somewhere in Britain, slutty outfits, and the annoying dumb chicks who have this 'oh my God' thing. Sounds like good fun. Not. And last, was Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam. Looks like pure Disney crap and exactly like High School Musical 2...but in a camp! Unfortunately, I had the song off the trailer stuck in my head all day, which I'm pretty sure contributed to my agonizing migraine.

Nicholas Hoult is really cute.


Once, when I had come into work before the shop opened, the TV was turned on and the first thing that came up was Nicholas Hoult in the trailer for A Single Man. I felt so special. Then I had to explain the movie to one of the people who I work with what the movie was about. Which pretty much failed, because there isn't a right way to explain that movie. She told me that someone thought it was strange, and my happiness from starting work to the cute face of Nicholas Hoult was kinda deflated. Oh well...I guess A Single Man just really isn't Dannevirke's thing.

AAAAAAND...for the most exciting thing that has happened all week (apart from getting the Inception script, of course)!


So, I just read The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich, and it's fair to say, I am obsessed with the Facebook story (that and I am writing an epic article all about Facebook for the local paper). I am also in love with Jesse Eisenberg and Andrew Garfield at the moment. I have been wanting to see The Social Network ever since I found out that David Fincher was directing it (because I couldn't quite process that thought). Even more so seeing all the rave reviews it's getting. But it wasn't set to be released here until November 25th, which would suck for me becuase I would be going on a stupid school camp then and wouldn't be able to see it until ages after. However, today, I found out, that the release date had been pushed up a couple of weeks and it will be here on November 11! Which means I don't have to wait so long! Trust me, the countdown has already started...
(Dear Movie God, if only Never Let Me Go's release date could be pushed up...maybe four months? I have to wait 10th February 2011 to see it...and I'm not sure my Andrew Garfield obsession can wait that long. Amen.)

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