This film is by British writer/director Richard Curtis, the man behind Love Actually and the Bridget Jones flicks, so we're talking pretty high 'rom com' credibility there.
It involves time travel so you do need to get over the implausibility of it all early on to be able to just go with it and enjoy it. And I did enjoy this one to a degree but it doesn't live up to the standard of Love Actually, a film which has a lot going for it in the rom com stakes.
Despite not really loving it, I did get pretty weepy at a sad moment towards the end of the film which made me realise I was perhaps a bit more entrenched in the story than I'd been aware of.
I've not seen the leading man Domhnall Gleeson in anything before and he's really delightful. Hopefully we see a lot more of him. He's paired with Rachel McAdams who, as always, is also lovely to watch.
Let me put it this way, if you generally love a rom com and can suspend reality to enjoy one, you'll dig this but otherwise, perhaps wait for it on DVD.
For more on the plot, cast etc, read this review in Crikey which I think wraps it all up well & in particular captures my feelings about the MANY unanswered questions in this flick. Like I said, you've really got to be willing to just roll with this one!
Trailer here.
Monday, 28 October 2013
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
FRUITVALE STATION - film
This film is amazing.
It's a little tough going at times in the emotional sense - perhaps not one for when you're feeling a bit down in the dumps but otherwise, it's a highly recommend from me.
It's based on a true story & is winning awards and getting great reviews. I agree with this review from The Guardian which gave it 4 stars. Like all of the reviews and articles, it reveals the ending which I did not know when I saw this film - if you can go in blind, I'd recommend it but either way, it's a pretty compelling story.
Definitely recommend this one. Go & see it!
Trailer here.
It's a little tough going at times in the emotional sense - perhaps not one for when you're feeling a bit down in the dumps but otherwise, it's a highly recommend from me.
It's based on a true story & is winning awards and getting great reviews. I agree with this review from The Guardian which gave it 4 stars. Like all of the reviews and articles, it reveals the ending which I did not know when I saw this film - if you can go in blind, I'd recommend it but either way, it's a pretty compelling story.
Definitely recommend this one. Go & see it!
Trailer here.
Sunday, 20 October 2013
PRISONERS - film
This movie is fantastic.
But sometimes the external factors in a cinema-going experience are so ridiculous that they detract from the movie in a way that leaves you just plain grumpy. I hope for your sake that the following things do not happen...
- Two old women sit behind you and talk constantly. The talking is particularly vigorous following a toilet break for one during which a great deal of important things happen in the story which her friend must then catch her up on upon her return which included a trip up the stairs.
- You move seats to get away from them.
- It doesn't help because the cinema is actually full of groups of people who feel the need to make observations and guesses about the more mysterious parts of the film. You know the types - the ones who say out loud "oh it was him!" out loud when everyone else can just THINK IT IN THEIR HEAD LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.
- The cinema (hat tip to cinema 2, Hoyts Northland) is so unbelievably cold that you stare with envy at any warm clothes being worn on screen and unconsciously imagine being cloaked in them.
- An old man in the cinema on his own hollers "That was a terrible ending" at the end of the film. And I mean HOLLERS. In his defence, he did have a point. The ending was so blunt that I actually thought to myself 'oh that would just top this damn experience off for the equipment to break down right near the end of the film' but alas, that no, that was the actual end.
Whilst my own experience of this one was a bit annoying, don't let it stop you seeing the film. It is really well done and stars Hugh Jackman, whose performance is unlike anything I've seen him do before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano are also terrific in this children-gone-missing, 'whodunit' flick. That description doesn't do it justice, so read the link below if you are thinking about going to see it!
A proper (& glowing) review from Crikey including more on the plot here and the trailer here.
But sometimes the external factors in a cinema-going experience are so ridiculous that they detract from the movie in a way that leaves you just plain grumpy. I hope for your sake that the following things do not happen...
- Two old women sit behind you and talk constantly. The talking is particularly vigorous following a toilet break for one during which a great deal of important things happen in the story which her friend must then catch her up on upon her return which included a trip up the stairs.
- You move seats to get away from them.
- It doesn't help because the cinema is actually full of groups of people who feel the need to make observations and guesses about the more mysterious parts of the film. You know the types - the ones who say out loud "oh it was him!" out loud when everyone else can just THINK IT IN THEIR HEAD LIKE A NORMAL PERSON.
- The cinema (hat tip to cinema 2, Hoyts Northland) is so unbelievably cold that you stare with envy at any warm clothes being worn on screen and unconsciously imagine being cloaked in them.
- An old man in the cinema on his own hollers "That was a terrible ending" at the end of the film. And I mean HOLLERS. In his defence, he did have a point. The ending was so blunt that I actually thought to myself 'oh that would just top this damn experience off for the equipment to break down right near the end of the film' but alas, that no, that was the actual end.
Whilst my own experience of this one was a bit annoying, don't let it stop you seeing the film. It is really well done and stars Hugh Jackman, whose performance is unlike anything I've seen him do before. Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano are also terrific in this children-gone-missing, 'whodunit' flick. That description doesn't do it justice, so read the link below if you are thinking about going to see it!
A proper (& glowing) review from Crikey including more on the plot here and the trailer here.
Saturday, 19 October 2013
DIANA - film
Based on the terrible reviews this film about Princess Di has been getting (you can read about them here), I was expecting this to be a dud and sadly it was.
I refuse to believe Diana was that insipid and whilst there was good chemistry between her and the leading man (a post-Charles love who most probably haven't even heard of), it wasn't enough to carry this film and certainly not enough to make up for the lame repeated reference to her being "the most famous woman in the world"... we get it, ok?
Give this one a miss.
Trailer here if you can be bothered...
I refuse to believe Diana was that insipid and whilst there was good chemistry between her and the leading man (a post-Charles love who most probably haven't even heard of), it wasn't enough to carry this film and certainly not enough to make up for the lame repeated reference to her being "the most famous woman in the world"... we get it, ok?
Give this one a miss.
Trailer here if you can be bothered...
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
GRAVITY - film
I'd seen the trailers for this sci fi flick and filed it under 'not my kind of film'. But then as the release approached the reviews started rolling in and wow, they were full of very high praise... 96% on Metacritic and 97% on Rotten Tomatoes for a start but also 4.5 & 4 stars from Margaret and David respectively, 4 stars in The Age, 5 stars from the UK Telegraph and 5 stars from the New York Times.
So I was already swaying a little and then I got a free ticket. Sold!
Described on Wikipedia as a "3D science fiction thriller and space drama", I went off to this Alfonso Cuarón film with very, very high expectations that were ultimately unmet. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic, edge-of-your-seat stuff, but it wasn't knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark, best-film-I've-seen-in-ages stuff.
OK, I'll stop hyphenating now.
In the interests of fairness I present the opinion of my viewing companion, Jo, for whom this film is very much 'my kind of film'...
“Wow, if you love space, technics and rollercoasters, you’ll love Gravity. I enjoyed it enormously. Apart from some technical errors (you figure it out) and lots of referencing of other sci-fi movies (you figure it out), Gravity is definitely worth a look, even a second look!”
If you're going to see this film, do see it in 3D to do the amazing effects justice.
Trailer here.
So I was already swaying a little and then I got a free ticket. Sold!
Described on Wikipedia as a "3D science fiction thriller and space drama", I went off to this Alfonso Cuarón film with very, very high expectations that were ultimately unmet. Don't get me wrong, it's fantastic, edge-of-your-seat stuff, but it wasn't knock-it-out-of-the-ballpark, best-film-I've-seen-in-ages stuff.
OK, I'll stop hyphenating now.
In the interests of fairness I present the opinion of my viewing companion, Jo, for whom this film is very much 'my kind of film'...
“Wow, if you love space, technics and rollercoasters, you’ll love Gravity. I enjoyed it enormously. Apart from some technical errors (you figure it out) and lots of referencing of other sci-fi movies (you figure it out), Gravity is definitely worth a look, even a second look!”
If you're going to see this film, do see it in 3D to do the amazing effects justice.
Trailer here.
Monday, 7 October 2013
RUSH - film
I'm going to level with you.
I saw this film because I had a Village Cinemas movie pass that was about to expire and it was the only thing on at the right time. I'd seen the previews and not taken an interest as it seemed to be about Formula 1 racing, in which I have nil interest. Talk about striking it lucky!
This film is fantastic! Sure, it's about Formula 1 in a sense but it's much more than that. I wasn't around to see the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt unfold in the late 1970s so I had no idea how the story ended which meant I was totally caught up in it, desperate to know how it all finished up.
This film is directed by Ron Howard and I just can't help but think, wow, that Richie Cunningham's gone a hell of a long way.
More info about the film in this review from The Vine which I reckon is right on the money...
Trailer here
I saw this film because I had a Village Cinemas movie pass that was about to expire and it was the only thing on at the right time. I'd seen the previews and not taken an interest as it seemed to be about Formula 1 racing, in which I have nil interest. Talk about striking it lucky!
This film is fantastic! Sure, it's about Formula 1 in a sense but it's much more than that. I wasn't around to see the rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt unfold in the late 1970s so I had no idea how the story ended which meant I was totally caught up in it, desperate to know how it all finished up.
This film is directed by Ron Howard and I just can't help but think, wow, that Richie Cunningham's gone a hell of a long way.
More info about the film in this review from The Vine which I reckon is right on the money...
Trailer here
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
THANKS FOR SHARING - film
I enjoyed this one. It's not amazing but it's a nice enough way to pass a couple of hours!
A great cast including familiar faces Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as the singer Pink who is actually pretty good too.
There's a lot going on which results in some characters not being explored too deeply but there's some fun and some poignancy too so I can happily but not highly recommend this one.
Here's a review from Fairfax which also outlines the plot if you're after some more detail but to cut to the chase, this is a film about s-x addiction and it actually gave me some insight into something I'd never really thought about.
I did wince a little when I noticed that the 'hopeless guy' character had the same phone cover as me. IS THAT THE PHONE COVER OF HOPELESS PEOPLE?!
He comes good though... phew.
Trailer here
A great cast including familiar faces Mark Ruffalo, Tim Robbins and Gwyneth Paltrow as well as the singer Pink who is actually pretty good too.
There's a lot going on which results in some characters not being explored too deeply but there's some fun and some poignancy too so I can happily but not highly recommend this one.
Here's a review from Fairfax which also outlines the plot if you're after some more detail but to cut to the chase, this is a film about s-x addiction and it actually gave me some insight into something I'd never really thought about.
I did wince a little when I noticed that the 'hopeless guy' character had the same phone cover as me. IS THAT THE PHONE COVER OF HOPELESS PEOPLE?!
He comes good though... phew.
Trailer here
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