Family Films – Page 2 – NZ Film Freak

Water For Elephants

Director: Francis Lawrence
Writer: Richard LaGravenese. Based on Sara Guen’s novel of the same name
Released: April 2011
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson, Christoph Waltz
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I bought this DVD as a bit of a whim. After stumbling across the trailer on YouTube I thought that the look of the whole film resembled the circus scenes in Big Fish.

It is the story of the dark side of the circus during the early 1930s, with a forbidden love story between Jacob (Robert Pattinson) and Marlena (Reese Witherspoon) intertwined. Jacob runs away with the circus and poses as a certified vet to continue travelling with them, but discovers that there’s much more to performing that the magic the audience sees.

On the way, he experiences the control and under handed acts that go on in order to keep the circus from failing during the depression. Staff would go missing in the night if the boss and husband of Marlena, August (Christoph Waltz), was unable to pay.

horses_water_for_elephants — Beautiful animals and amazing stunts

The climax did have me holding my breath, but the over all story seemed somewhat watered down, with the lack of suspense throughout most of the heavier scenes.

Of course, my terrible habit is that I hype movies up before I’ve even seen them. I did think that Water For Elephants was going to be more dramatic and horrific, perhaps I would have been right if it was an R17 rating or something like that. But, it wasn’t a bad story by any stretch and it was an enjoyable romance drama – despite there being more romance that drama for my taste.

However, it was very well shot! The director, Francis Lawrence shows his talent for lighting in previous films including I Am Legend and has carried it through to Water For Elephants. I am excited to see how he portrays The Hunger Games sequels!

The acting was great for the most part! Christoph Waltz… Need I say more? He was amazing as usual, and one of the most compelling reasons to buy this movie, he was convincingly intense. Robert Pattinson was pretty decent too, possibly a little monotone..? Reese Witherspoon was AV-ER-AGE to say the least. Shallow acting.

A cool tale that explores the fantasy of running away with the circus.

Jodie’s Rating: 6.5/10

Midnight In Paris

Director: Woody Allen
Writer: Woody Allen
Released: June 2011
Starring: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody
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When I first watched this film I was disappointed because I had hyped up the plot of Gil (Owen Wilson) travelling through different time eras of Paris. The artistic, fashionable, sophisticated and elaborate times of the 1920s, as well as the ceremonious, coming of age times of the 1890s. But after letting my great expectations subside, I really enjoyed the watch.

The plot is about the Golden Age. That is, longing to live in a time before your own. For example, mine is the early 1960s. Rock and roll music and amazing fashion, with the huge liberal movement against war and for free will.

Paul: Nostalgia is denial – denial of the painful present… the name for this denial is golden age thinking – the erroneous notion that a different time period is better than the one one’s living in – it’s a flaw in the romantic imagination of those people who find it difficult to cope with the present.

However, Midnight In Paris attempts to shroud my Golden Age in contempt, trying to convince me that few are content with the current times and to get over it. It dampened my comfort of believing I would be happier in a different time, because the reality is – as Gil discovers – that you would simply find another time that you would believe to be better.

There is a lot of magic in this film, which I love. Gil goes through a wormhole of sorts, where at the strike of midnight every night a 1920s car picks him up and takes him to parties with his literary heroes. It’s a beautiful “what if” storyline that lives out everybody’s dream to travel through time to experience a life not meant for them.

I think that the decision for Gil to be transported to different era via transport appropriate for that time was perfect. It seems like a small, obvious detail, but I’m just glad that there was no CGI, special effects or sound effects to make the transition obvious.

midnight-in-paris-carload-of-literary-types

This magic does not last throughout the film, however. “The grass is always greener on the other side” is a phrase that has been converted into the moral of this story – the cold, harsh light of day is not welcoming.

Gil sees that the beauty of every era can still be inspiring without having the ability to experience it first hand. Which is disappointing since it seems that he is throwing away his idyllic time era of 1920s Paris for an average life in 2010 Paris. He could have continued to live his dream, but chose not to for no convincing reason.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS marion

On the other hand, I loved how his heroes gave him advice and support, which ultimately builds his confidence to improve his life in the present.

Gil: Would you read it?
Ernest Hemingway: Your novel?
Gil: Yeah, it’s about 400 pages long, and I’m just looking for an opinion.
Ernest Hemingway: My opinion is I hate it.
Gil: Well you haven’t even read it yet.
Ernest Hemingway: If it’s bad, I’ll hate it because I hate bad writing, and if it’s good, I’ll be envious and hate all the more. You don’t want the opinion of another writer.

Instead of taking the easy option of staying in his dream, he takes the tough road of building his life into what he really wants. I guess he shook of the security blanket of living in the past – an easier place to live because you know what’s coming for you.

Gil: Adriana, if you stay here though, and this becomes your present then pretty soon you’ll start imagining another time was really your… You know, was really the golden time. Yeah, that’s what the present is. It’s a little unsatisfying because life’s a little unsatisfying.

Gertrude Stein: We all fear death and question our place in the universe. The artist’s job is not to succumb to despair, but to find an antidote for the emptiness of existence.

The beautiful French music was glorious! Seriously considering buying the soundtrack.

The acting was very well done. I really hated Rachel McAdam’s character. Like, it got to the point where I was starting to think that she must be a total bi-atch in real life because she played evil Inez so convincingly. So, kudos to her acting ability.

Owen Wilson was pretty much the same character he is in everything. I’m not totally sure why he was cast. Perhaps to keep the film upbeat.

midnight-in-paris-rachel

It is an uplifting tale of something that many of us dream of doing. The ending was rather disappointing, at first. But I have come to terms with it, and I think it works well for Gil.

Worth a watch, but don’t expect it to be a deep and meaningful movie – you will be disappointed! Look at it as a quirky drama/rom-com. Although, I do think that it would have been a very moving film if it was heavier with more drama and emotion.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Megamind

Directed: Tom McGrath
Written: Alan J. Schoolcraft and Brent Simons
Released: November 2010
Featuring: Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, David Cross and Brad Pitt
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I think the best animations are ones where they are enjoyable for more than one age group, which Megamind certainly is! Great for the younger audience as well as teenagers and adults.

This movie is about a blue alien named Megamind (Will Ferrell) who was sent to Earth as a baby, growing up to cause destruction and trouble. Megamind and his rival, Metro Man (Brad Pitt) who is the city’s ‘super hero’, frequently fight in Metro City like Superman and Lex Luthor. It’s a classic good guy/bad guy relationship, which becomes a game to Megamind, until he finally defeats Metro Man and realises that the success he had always strived for was not as rewarding as he had thought.

Moral: Be careful what you wish for; you may just get it.

This animation has some of the best lines in it, I reckon it’s up there with Juno‘s dialogue in some parts. The script is very well written, the dialogue as well as the storyline. It’s a classic superhero story which frequently mocks itself.

This type of animation is similar to that of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, but Megamind is a slightly more mature story; funnier and more entertaining.

I love you, Metro Man!
“And I love YOU, random citizen!”

Megamind: In case you’ve noticed, you’ve fallen right into my trap!
Metro Man: You can’t trap justice! It’s an idea, a BELIEF!
Megamind: Even the most heartfelt belief can get corroded over time!
Metro Man: Justice is a non-corrosive metal!
Megamind: But metals can be melted, by the heat of revanche!
Metro Man: It’s REVENGE, and it’s best served cold!
Megamind: But it can be easily reheated, in the microwave of evil!
Metro Man: Well, I think your warranty’s about to expire!
Megamind: Maybe I got an extended warranty!
Metro Man: Warranties are invalid, if used beyond their intended purpose!

All the characters are awesome! Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey) is a news reporter who always gets kidnapped by Megamind to provoke another fight with Metro Man. She has been taken so many times that nothing phases her any more.

Roxanne: Could someone stamp my frequent kidnapping card?
Megamind: You of all people know we discontinued that promotion.

Hal-Roxanne- — Hal: “You’re living a fantasy. There is no Easter Bunny. There is no Tooth Fairy. There is no Queen of England.”

Hal (Jonah Hill) is probably my favourite character though because he’s the funniest. He’s desperate for Roxanne’s attention but fails to be smooth or flattering. Megamind turned Hal into the new ‘good guy superhero’ after Metro Man’s disappearance, and named him Titan.

Hal: I’m havin’ a party at my house, gonna be off the hook, or whatever. You should come over. I got a DJ, rented a bouncy house, made a gallon of dip. It’s gonna be sick!
Roxanne: Oh, I…I don’t know, Hal. I don’t really feel like being around a bunch of people.
Hal: No, no, no! That’s the best part, it’ll just be like, you and me… I did hire a wedding photographer. That’s just in case we were like, something crazy happened and we wanted a picture of it like, maybe we should have this for like, ever. Like a memory, you know?
Roxanne: Um, I’m gonna pass. I have some work here that I need to do, anyway.
Hal: Cool. So, Thursday? Soft Thursday?

A fun, exciting and hilarious twist on the age-old superhero format. Great cast, characters and storyline.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Wreck-It Ralph

Directed: Rich Moore
Written: Rich Moore, Phil Johnston and Jim Reardon
Released: November 2012
Starring: John C. Reilly, Jane Lynch and Sarah Silverman
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Not knowing that this animation was in fact aimed at a younger audience, I was rather disappointed/bored. I know what you’re thinking, of course it’s a childish movie – it’s animation about video games.

But let me draw your attention to the likes for Ice Age (the first one), Toy Story (1, 2 and 3) and Brave. Wreck-It Ralph was in no way on par with the likes of these animated features.

Wreck-It Ralph is a ‘bad guy’ in a standard arcade machine, always out-shined by the Ned Flanders-like figure, Fix-It Felix. Ralph does not want to be the demonised figure and escapes into an arcade machine adjacent to his to win a medal and feel the sense of reward that Felix gets. But, if Ralph is killed in a game that is not his own, he will not get another life and it’s game over forever.

However, I must say, this setting has not really been done before. The mixture of nostalgic arcade games (for the parents) and the fun, colourful and exciting characters to appeal to the kids, this moral-drenched story is a fine cartoon for the holidays.

Very clever graphics that keep it ‘accurate’, such as the much more basic games having very basic graphics.

I thought it was quite a long movie which would be a draw back for children… Especially being in a cinema where we were surrounded by children, trust me, they let you know a movie is too long after about an hour…

So, Wreck-It Ralph was not quite what I expected, the target audience was not that clear, perhaps. But I can appreciate it nevertheless.

Perfect for the school holidays. A “high score” for many children and some older people too, I’m sure. A bearable film for parents.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Edward Scissorhands

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Caroline Thompson and Tim Burton
Released: 1990
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder and Dianne Wiest
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You’ll either love it or hate it. I happen to love it.

JD as ES Tim Burton’s quirky and off centre idea of normalcy is shown in Edward Scissorhands which is about a man who was created by an inventor who died before he could complete him – hence the scissors for hands. Edward finds himself embraced into suburbia which challenges the belief system of the small, gossipy population, before everything goes wrong and Edward finds himself in a more confused state than ever.

It does seem like a crazy storyline. A man with scissors for hands? Imagine trying to pitch that to a production company…

“Hey, I had this idea about a guy who was created by an inventor out of leather. But the inventor never finished him so he gave the Frankenstein-like character scissors to compensates for his lack of hands… He can’t pick anything up! And sometimes he accidentally hurts himself and others around him… Like a metaphor really… Yeah. So, we need twenty million dollars.”

Anyway! Burton did get it made, with the actors considered to play Edward Scissorhands including Tom Cruise and Michael Jackson. Thankfully, Burton decided to give the teen idol, Johnny Depp (Alice In Wonderland and Public Enemies), a chance to break his type-cast. Nobody could have played the awkward Edward character any better.

Speaking of casting, one of my favourite actresses, Dianne Wiest, (The Lost Boys and The Horse Whisperer) was the perfect choice to play Peg Boggs, the Avon lady and motherly figure to Edward. She is so sensitive and plays the part of a kind suburban house mum very well.

Caroline Thompson was the screenwriter and collaborated with Tim Burton to come up with the story originally. She has written the screenplays to the likes of The Secret Garden and Black Beauty. She is a genius! One of my idols, for sure.

Scissorsuburbs The sets look like a model set because of all of the pastel colours and cookie-cutter, two dimensional looking houses, especially in contrast with the black, gothic castle that Edward Scissorhands hides out in. It is actually a spectacular set which is an exaggeration of suburbia’s claustrophobia, uniformity and lack of individualism or creativity, which is what Edward Scissorhands inadvertently changes when he is introduced to the neighbourhood.

edward_scissorhands_kim_dancing_in_the_snow It is a comedic view on the insanity of normalcy. An entertaining watch – unlike anything you have ever seen before. It is a typical Burton film so if you’re not a fan of his work usually, you may not enjoy the weirdness of Edward Scissorhands. However, the love interest between Edward and Kim (Winona Ryder) as well as the snowy Christmas scenes makes it a great festive movie (despite the somewhat sad ending which Tom Cruise disliked).

A great movie! A fantastical change to the ordinary chick-flicks that flood the market. This is a magical, feel-good fable with a twist that will be appreciated by the whole family.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
I’m not overly convinced that either of these trailers give the best feel of what the movie is really like, but here they are…

Big Fish

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John August (Screenplay), Daniel Wallace (Novel – Big Fish: A Novel of Mythical Proportions)
Released: 2003
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Helena Bonham-Carter, Billy Crudup, Albert Finney and Ewen McGregor
—

I have mentioned this movie in quite a few other posts, relating it to Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because of their similar stories about an average man on his adventure through life.

Big Fish is directed by Tim Burton, so already you have probably got an idea of what the feel of this film is. A little bit quirky with gothic undertones, but don’t be fooled, this is not a cookie-cutter Burton film (although it does include the incredible Helena Bonham-Carter), this is an amazing tale about Edward Bloom’s (Albert Finney/Ewan McGregor) life.

circus The protagonist is a storyteller although he is known to exaggerate and embellish the story of his life with fantastical metaphors and unbelievable occurrences. Just like Forrest Gump, Edward is a Southern man who finds himself on a road of various adventures, finds love and goes to war.

But Big Fish is a more light hearted and fantastical version where you’re not quite sure what to believe to be true. Edward Bloom’s stories take up most of the film, but it also tells the story of his son, William Bloom (Billy Crudup).

spectre1

He goes on a journey of his own, retracing his father’s footsteps to find out the real story behind all of Edward’s fabricated tales. The contrast between reality and fantasy makes the story more believable. The facts would have made uninteresting tales, whereas the elaborate stories are entertaining and unbelievable.

I love this piece of dialogue where William’s fiancé Josephine (Marion Cotillard) speaks to William Bloom about how he met is wife, Sandra (Jessica Lange/Alison Lohman). I love Bloom’s way of speaking!

Edward Bloom: Your mother-in-law was never supposed to marry me. She was engaged to somebody else.
Josephine: I never knew.
Edward Bloom: Will never told you? Probably just as well. He would have told it wrong, anyway. All the facts, none of the flavor.
Josephine: Oh. So this is a tall tale.
Edward Bloom: Well, it’s not a short one.

This clip should give you a good idea of the feel of the movie:

The music is fantastic in Big Fish. There is Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly and Pearl Jam as well as the compositions by the infamous Danny Elfman (who incidentally cannot read music!)

witch Fate, destiny, time, love and death. From real life giants and lion tamers to mermaids and witches, Big Fish is a fantasy/adventure/drama movie, but with a make-believe glaze over it.

It is a story of great imagination which you will want to watch over and over again and read further into the details. It’s entertaining but also pulls on the heart-strings.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

Just noticed they have used the same piece of music from Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands… and another piece of music I recognise from Black Beauty in this trailer! All of these movies have the same composer though; Danny Elfman.

Elf

elf Director: Jon Favreau
Writer: David Berenbaum
Released: 2003
Starring: Zooey Deschanel and Will Ferrell
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‘Son of a nutcracker’! It’s almost Christmas.

Not only did Elf win the poll, but it is also appropriate as it is the festive season. This is a pretty funny Christmas comedy movie with many hilarious one-liners that have really stuck, even after all these years!

Will Ferrell does a great job playing “Buddy the Elf” – the human who was raised by Santa’s elves – who goes on a journey travelling through the seven levels of the candy cane forest, past the sea of swirly-twirly gumdrops, and then, walks through the Lincoln tunnel to discover New York. This is where he finds that he is, in fact, human not elf. Along the way he spreads Christmas cheer, falls in love and meets his biological father.

His child-like innocence makes him relatable to children and misunderstood by adults resulting in very awkward, but funny situations.

This is a fantastical story touching on all of the typical Christmas morals of honesty, family and priorities. Although it is essentially a children’s film (as many festive movies are), it is a very enjoyable movies for the older audiences too, especially since Will Ferrell is in it.

elf_buddy_and_jovie_1 It includes my favourite Christmas song; Baby, It’s Cold Outside, sung by Zooey Deschanel and Will Farrell. The same song on the official soundtrack is by Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone which is a great version.

Don’t be a ‘cotton-headed ninnymuggins’, this will be an entertaining Christmas film for the whole family to watch. Although I am not a fan of Christmas movies in general, Elf is a pretty good one, if not storyline-wise, at least for the comedic value of Will Ferrell‘s character.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Snow White and the Huntsman

Director: Rupert Sanders
Writers: Based upon Snow White by Brothers Grimm
Released: June 2012
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Charlize Theron, Chris Hemsworth and Sam Claflin
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I don’t think you can really read too much into this film. At the end of the day it is based on a simple fairytale, but it is an action-packed and exciting take on it. Quite a bit of violence, which was more realistic than I thought it would be, with battle scenes that were very captivating.

I know everyone, including myself, went to see it secretly to criticise Kristen Stewart’s performance. It wasn’t bad, but it was obvious that she was not the ideal Snow White. She had very little dialogue, and when she did speak, her typically emotionless facials were replaced by concentration, probably focussing on her English accent.

I have to say, I thought Snow White would have been more feminine and smiley… I don’t know if she wasn’t because of Stewart’s portrayal of her, or because the makers wanted to portray a more dark and gothic version of Snow White.

This kind of Snow White reminded me of Katniss from The Hunger Games – a strong, feminine warrior. But every production company has got to make their money somehow, right? And what better way than to use the Twilight star.

I thought they would choose a more unknown actress for Snow White (like Tim Burton did for the protagonist in Alice In Wonderland). Turned out I was right, this was considered at the beginning. I hadn’t heard of Felicity Jones before the likes of Cemetery Junction, but after seeing this photo of her… wouldn’t it have been an no-brainer to cast her!?

Queen

The evil stepmother/Queen played by Charlize Theron was another casting decision I don’t think was a bad choice exactly… But she was a tad theatrical at the beginning, which don’t get me wrong, is probably appropriate. But it was almost too much.

It reminded me of Anne Hathaway’s sickly sweet performance as the White Queen in Burton’s Alice In Wonderland.

The seven dwarves were great. Although I do wish their names were like the well-known Disney version (Sneezy, Sleepy, Dopey, Doc, Happy, Bashful and Grumpy, which became Beith, Coll, Duir, Gort, Muir, Nion, and Quert).

The-Dwarves-in-Snow-White-and-the-Huntsman

However, it did dawn on me during the film that the genre of this interpretation is totally different, therefore the less comedic angle was adopted.

Having been so critical so far, I have to say that I did enjoy this film. The visual effects were incredible. The Mirror Man leaked out of the mirror like metallic silk… It was solid yet liquid, which was super cool.

The dark forest was pretty awesome too which was convincingly contrasted with the sanctuary where the dwarves lived.

This is a film worth seeing. The stunts (and stunt horses) were fantastic, the animation was insane and yet, the original Snow White story was still there.

My expectations of a flailing and weak Snow White with a strong love story was totally not what the film was. It is The Hunger Games meets Alice In Wonderland (2010) with strong characters, violence and action. A fairytale for the modern tween.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

PS: I can’t help but say that if you look closely at the close ups of Kristen riding the grey horse bareback, you can tell she is sitting in a saddle with her dress draped over it.
PP.SS: As my friend mentioned to me during the movie, I was also disappointed that the dwarves were not riding miniature horses.

The Wedding Singer

Director: Frank Coraci
Writer: Tim Herlihy
Released: February 1998
Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore and Christine Taylor
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This film is the eighties equivalent of the sixties-based The Boat That Rocked, so it is very funny and has an awesome soundtrack!

Adam Sandler plays Robbie Hart the wedding singer who is very talented and loves his job until he loses faith in love. ‘Love Stinks’ is probably the most memorable song in the entire movie, which is covered by Sandler who has a surprisingly good voice!

The Love Stinks scene is my favourite scene, not because he is at the depths of heartbreak, but because his anger becomes pretty hilarious…

I think if Sandler had carried on doing the more tasteful films like The Wedding Singer, I would be a fan of more of his movies… It’s a shame that this is the only film I own with him in it.

Julia is the sweet girl-next-door type played by Drew Barrymore. Julia is such a cool character who is marrying the wrong guy; Glenn Gulia who is arrogant and rude.

That is until she starts “spending more time with this other man… Robbie Hart” who is, to her mother’s disappointment just “the wedding singer”.

Drew Barrymore has never looked more innocent with short blonde hair, this character shows her versatility as an actress since I always imagine her to be a bolshy and over-confident person in real life.

This film is probably my favourite rom-com of all time because it has a dry sense of humour, but above all it has a soundtrack that I absolutely love! Literally the best of the eighties.

Like all classic rom-coms, stereotypes and inevitable story lines fall into place, but the incredibly accurate fashion trends and set designs – at the very least – will keep you entertained and/or reminiscing!

I am now on the hunt for blue mascara…
Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Directors: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller
Writers: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (screenplay), Judi and Ron Barrett (story)
Released: 2009
Starring: Bill Hader, Anna Faris, James Caan, Andy Samberg, Bruce Campbell, Bobb’e J. Thompson, Mr. T, Benjamin Bratt, Neil Patrick Harris
—

Animated films have been growing in popularity because of the flexibility and ability to create elaborate sets. Fantastic films have been made thanks to the advanced technology now available from Toy Story 3 to Megamind to this film; Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Bill_Hader_in_Cloudy I was skeptical at first as it seemed like a silly and random storyline. However, after watching it from start to finish I found that the humour was similar to that of Megamind (one of my favourite animations) and the fantasy element like the 2009 animation Coraline.

It was the crazy gestures and facial expressions which I thought was the funniest element. Particularly the main character’s father who simply had a monobrow, a nose and a mustache. The creativity was pretty awesome in regards to the natural disasters formed by food, as well as the colour and realistic food which made me want to eat a hamburger so badly (despite being a vegetarian, so that shows how far graphics have come these days!). cloudywithachanceofmeatballs-sequel

Typically there are mostly stereotyped characters, but that wasn’t really a surprise for a film which is targeting a younger audience. Having said that, these animations (with Toy Story 3 in mind) aren’t boring for the older viewers – cartoons are not just for kids any more.

cloudy It was a simple storyline, however. Despite me trying to look deeper – perhaps it’s a stab at genetic modification or corporations wanting to rule the world or global warming – I found it lacked substance. Plus, the ‘absolute low’ in this film lasted as long as a blink. Not very much suspense at all. Perhaps it really was just a film with a tired moral of “not giving up on your dreams”… *sigh*

Cloudy-With-a-Chance It’s an easy-to watch film which is pretty funny (not as funny as Megamind) and fantastical (not as fantastical as Coraline) with a typical “they all lived happily ever after” ending.

Somewhat disappointing but perhaps my hopes were too high.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Back to the Future III

Back-to-the-Future-Part-III Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Released: 1990
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Thomas F. Wilson, Lea Thompson
—

Awesome – as per usual.

In this epic finale, we are thrown back to the old west! 1885 to be exact, where Doc is now trapped but “happy”. However, since receiving this letter (which was handed down through the postal service for many years) Marty had found Doc’s (of 1885) grave – he was shot by Biff’s great grandfather only six days after writing the letter. So he goes back to save him.

tumblr_m8ql4bRZGJ1qgpa6xo1_1280 — Meeting the ancestors. Looking familiar..?

Wow! Another complex storyline, is it not? In a totally awesome way of course!! This is the crazy world of the 1800s – every man for himself – Marty turns up, meets his ancestors and hitches a ride to the local town where he finds Doc as a blacksmith and explains to him of his untimely death.

The sets are fantastic! With beautiful horses and incredible stunts, too. This is a romantic tale with a rough exterior where we try to get back to the future with Doc – with some help of a train. Although, of course, not everything quite goes to plan…

09_bttf-3

I really enjoyed the final of the series because it was back in the past which is always more accurate and a plot is much more easily structured upon real events creating the humour of certain minor changes in American history.

I never doubted Robert Zemeckis’ films, and I never thought he would make terrible sequels which is usually what happens or is expected. This is another exciting journey with a satisfying ending to the fantastical trilogy.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10
Check out my review of the sequels: Back to the Future I and Back to the Future II

Back to the Future II

Back to the FUture II

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writers: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Released: 1989
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Thomas F. Wilson
—

Well, we went to the recent past of 1985 in the last movie so it’s only logical to go to the future of 1985 in the sequel! We go to 2015 where the cars are flying and instead of skateboards, we have hover boards… Doesn’t seem quite so realistic now that 2015 is just around the corner! You scientist better get on to it. We’re going to be disappointed if we don’t have our flying cars and hover boards by 2015…

back_to_the_future_part_2_1989_685x385 “Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need roads….” We go to the future with Marty (Micheal J. Fox), Doc (Christopher Lloyd) and Marty’s girlfriend Jennifer (Elizabeth Shue) because Doc is concerned that their son will be framed by the grandson of Biff (Thomas F. Wilson), Marty’s high school bully.

back-to-the-future-2_b — Recognise a certain somebody from *Titanic*? Billy Zane’s (front left) first job was playing one of the bullies in *Back to the Future*!

Whilst there, Marty buys a magazine that recorded the results of every major sport of 1985 making betting a breeze. Unfortunately, he leaves it laying around for it to land in the wrong hands – Biff’s – who steals the time machine and creates an alternate 2015! So Doc and Marty have to save the McFlys as well as going back to 1955 to prevent Biff giving the magazine to his younger self who would create the evil alternate era!! Pheph! This is a much more scary and shocking film than the more lighthearted last, but still very exciting.

BTTF2 This dark film exposes the full extent of the dangers of time travel as Marty finds his father’s grave and his mother married to Biff in the alternate 1985. There’s a lot of gun action and accurately predicts the rise of corporations ruling the world (Biff’s company owning the police force) and everybody’s infatuation with money. It’s a massive flip-side to the innocent times of the previous film which is unexpected.

I preferred the colourful times of 1955 of Back to the Future I. However, this is still a very enjoyable film! Particularly the epic music by Alan Silvestri – equally as great as the previous film.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
Check out my review of the sequels: Back to the Future I and Back to the Future III

Back to the Future I

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Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale
Released: 1985
Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover
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The first of the Back to the Future trilogy is a mind-blowing and exciting science fiction adventure. About 17 year-old Marty McFly (convincingly played by a 24 year old Michael J. Fox) who finds himself in ‘Doc’s’ (Christopher Lloyd) unreliable Delorean time machine and is whizzed back to the year 1955, unable to return.

I loved how you really had to think about where you were and who certain people were in relation to Marty’s life back in 1985 – such as meeting his Uncle “Jailbird Joey” who never seems to want to leave the bars of his play pen, when in the future, he never seems to get out of jail!

Unfortunately, Marty makes too much of an impression in 1955 and accidentally attracts a little too much attention from his future mother, Lorraine Baines, (Lea Thompson) – endangering his very existence!

Back-to-the-Future-One-of-the-best-movie-series-of-all-time-michael-j-fox-21003788-1280-688 As we are trapped in the fifties, we see the repetitive nature of the McFlys and how each generation get bullied by the same family of Marty’s bully as well as the lack of self-confidence carried from father to son in the McFly family. This structured life brings out the irony and humour of the story.

marty.doc02 So while he is stuck in the fifties he finds the Doc from that era to help try find another fuel to get the usually nuclear-run time machine back to the eighties! All at the same time, trying to get his future parents to meet and fall in love whilst trying to get back to the future! It’s such an exciting and fun film which looks very well made for its time.

The music is probably my favourite aspect of the film – simply because I’m a sucker for 50s music and that era. The best version I’ve heard of “Earth Angel” (originally released by The Penguins) was in this film sung by Marvin Berry and the Starlighters – it was way cool! But not as cool as Marty’s rocking version of Chuck Berry’s “Johnny B. Goode”! Music really sets each time era and helps you keep track of where the characters are from and where they are now.

THIS FOLLOWING CLIP MAY BE A SPOILER
Do not watch this following clip if you have not seen the film before.

I love Robert Zemeckis’ movies from Forrest Gump to the Polar Express and A Christmas Carol and the Back to the Future trilogy is way up there too! He has always made meaningful and incredible films which always show off his talent.

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If you love timetravel or great music, this fun and easy-to-watch classic will never get old!
Look out for the sequel!!

Jodie’s rating: 8.5/10
Check out my review of the sequels: Back to the Future ll and Back to the Future lll

Alice In Wonderland (2010)

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Director: Tim Burton
Writer: Linda Woolverton (Based on Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol)
Released: March 2010
Starring: Johnny Depp, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Crispin Glover, Matt Lucas, Mia Wasikowska
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What a trip!

Despite numerous films portraying Lewis Carroll’s tale of Alice in Wonderland, Tim Burton’s gothic varnished tale of being lost in Wonderland hit the nail on the head. Burton’s magical story turned Disney’s musical cartoon into a 3D adventure of mystery and excitement for the whole family.

After Alice (Mia Wasikowska) abandons a surprise engagement party thrown for her, she accidently re-discovers Wonderland or ‘Underland’ as the residents call it. Burton made sure that Alice was down-to-earth and neutral enough for the audience to relate to in the unfamiliar land and out-of-this-world characters throughout the film.

Alice encounters our favourite characters from the Tweedles (Matt Lucas) to the classic Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp) who were included in our unforgettable journey through Wonderland.

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Every character was brilliantly portrayed with the most memorable being Johnny Depp’s witty character, The Mad Hatter, whose maddening personality seemed to be the heart of Wonderland.

Depp’s performance was undoubtedly convincing with the audience’s emotions changing as the Hatter’s did. From being sympathetic toward Hatter’s loneliness and despair over the Red Queen’s (Helena Bonham Carter) destruction of the land, to the aggressive and spooky Scottish man he frequently became throughout the film.

The Red Queen’s head was enlarged which was very well done; it portrayed her big-headedness physically, which matched her selfish acts.

The fantastically convincing post-production effects and the use of green screens created a trippy and fantastical trip to and through the land. (Although one may wonder if it would have been a load easier and cheaper to do the entire thing animated).

Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen

The music composed by the incredible Danny Elfman was the cherry on top for this captivating movie. Elfman, who has composed for most of Burton’s films including Edward Scissorhands and Big Fish, stuck to his very traditional/stereotypical mix of choir, horror based music and melodic stringed instruments, which matched the visuals perfectly. Elfman has never failed intertwining contrasting ideas, such as the innocence of Alice and the strange jungle of Wonderland, into nothing less than a masterpiece.

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The overall storyline of Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was the perfect addition of Lewis Carroll’s story and Tim Burton’s signature techniques of story-telling. However, the secret world of Narnia and the evil Queen came to mind throughout the film, which didn’t give Alice in Wonderland a very unique or alternative storyline like Burton’s films usually have.

The White Queen, portrayed by Anne Hathaway, was obviously instructed to be the fairytale, almost stereotypical princess which unfortunately did not quite translate as it appeared fake and cringe-worthy. I felt like I was thrown out of the fantastical world with reality hitting like a slap to the face.

Anne Hathaway as The White Queen

The director, Tim Burton, can always be relied upon for the best dark, fantasy-themed movies, and he has lived up to his reputation once again. Burton mentioned that he had not been satisfied with a version of Alice In Wonderland since the book. I agree, and I think this film will most likely be the final version we will see.

Tim-Burtons-Alice-In-Wonderland-alice-in-wonderland-2010-13698617-1360-768 The cast were fantastic and the post production techniques are impressive and live up to today’s high film expectations, especially since the release of Avatar. Burton’s film, Alice in Wonderland, is a recommended view.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10