Genres – Page 6 – NZ Film Freak

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Director: Francis Lawrence
Writers: Simon Beaufoy, Michael Arndt and Suzanne Collins. Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins
Released: November 2013
Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci
and Donald Sutherland
—

What a total disappointment!

The first movie was INCREDIBLE! A breath of fresh air. A new and exciting concept – different to the usual slog. Themes of anti-corporation, anti-government and shining a light on the absurdity of focussing on reality television rather than the actual reality.

But the second movie barely mentioned these themes. And if they did, it was literally one line of dialogue which summed the whole idea up, causing an originally important theme to become meaningless and redundant. It is pretty much leaving the best parts for the third movie. Catching Fire is just a set-up for Mockingjay.

“Yes” I have read the book, which was incredible. The first movie covered the book well, the second didn’t. I know one shouldn’t compare the book to the movie because they are very different mediums. But quite frankly, the makers left out all of the good parts and focussed on the Twilight-esk star-crossed lovers storyline. Which I felt was a mere footnote in the novel.

However, if you haven’t read the book, I will expect you to find the movie slow-paced, underwhelming and lacking action. The movie spends WAY too much time outside of the arena trying to set up the situation of district rebellion, which isn’t done convincingly anyway.

When you FINALLY make to the arena, it’s literally like you’re being shown one problem after another with no time to catch your breath or analyse character development. There is very few battle scenes too. Very disappointing.

The actors were well cast and the acting was very good. Particularly Jennifer Lawrence who is equally as convincing as she was in the first movie… Despite the inexhaustible crying.

In terms of shots and visuals, there is one impressive birds’ eye shot, and the fire on Katniss’ dress is more realistic. But I can’t say it was worth the hype I’ve heard recently.

I’m so upset. The movies are expected to make a lot of money, to ensure this, the deep themes and interesting ideas have been ditched for a cheap love story to cater for a wider audience. Which goes against the entire point of the actual Hunger Games story! Anti-corporation and anti-consumerism.

I reckon a small independent film company would have done a far better job; staying true to the ideas of the story, rather than aiming for a cheap buck.

…the musical score were average. But perhaps the soundtrack will be different.

What a sell out. Going to go have a fat cry now.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Gravity

Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Writers: Alfonso Cuarón and Jonás Cuarón
Released: October 2013
Starring: Sandra Bullock and George Clooney

—–

This movie is out of this world!
Ha.
I saw Gravity 3D and it was spectacular. The director, Alfonso Cuarón, said movies should be a visual experience – a lot of dialogue isn’t necessary to tell the story – and he certainly did that well.

Claustrophobia, agoraphobia, isolation, suffocation and death. This is a terrifying movie, playing on our natural fears. It is a very ‘human’ film – it goes back to basics – which is extremely effective in such an alien environment.

I’m not sure how to describe the epicness of the visuals… It is inviolable. Simply spectacular. The shot of the Northern Lights from outer space, and of the sun emerging from behind Earth… Wow. gravity_inline_2

Ryan (Sandra Bullock) and Matt (George Clooney) were absolutely incredible. I am a huge fan of George Clooney anyway, who played a chatty and upbeat character. But I was pleasantly surprised with Sandra Bullock! She convincingly played a strong protagonist.

All the dialogue used makes a huge impact. There is literally no unnecessary dialogue. The spoken word is almost used as a parallel storyline; Ryan’s back story links to her current traumas.

The audio is so detailed and layered. The use of silence is powerful and serene. Ryan’s heartbeat can often be heard in the background. The point-of-view shots include the dampened sounds of collision as though heard from inside the astronaut suit.

Speaking of audio, the soundtrack is incredibly moving – especially in the final scene! RANDOM FACT: Steven Price, who composed for Gravity, also composed for The World’s End.

Structurally, the story keeps you hooked. The count down before the next debris shower from the destroyed satellite near-by, and the suspense as the oxygen depletes… You literally find yourself holding your breath.

The loneliness, desperation, mourning, horror and serenity creates a hugely emotional journey. The point-of-view shots, as mentioned before, just gets you closer to the action.

All my favourite movies are character-orientated and emotional. Juno, Young Adult, About A Boy, Little Miss Sunshine, The Perks of Being A Wallflower.. I could go on! But imagine that character development in a terrifying thriller with a totally original environment.

Intense, stunning and creative. It is definitely worth seeing in 3D.

I loved it!
Jodie’s rating: 9.5/10

The trailer gives away nothing. The storyline is barely touched upon – you’re in for a treat!
I just got chills. Again.

Thor: The Dark World

Director: Alan Taylor
Writers: Don Payne and Robert Rodat. Based on Thor by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby
Released: November, 2013
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Hopkins, Stellan Skarsgård, Idris Elba, Christopher Eccleston (the ninth Dr. Who!), Kat Dennings…
—

I haven’t seen the 2011 prequel, but Thor: The Dark World was still entertaining.

Obviously this is an action-packed, exciting and a surprisingly funny superhero movie which is bound to be a hit with most.

I saw this movie twice, and I certainly enjoyed it more the second time around – which I think is common for superhero films. The first watch is just about the storyline, but the second time is about the characters.

Loki is my favourite character for sure! He is vindictive and vicious with a quirky comedic element throughout most of his dialogue.

The best thing about Thor: A Dark World is the self-awareness of the characters. The references to Captain America and, my personal favourite, when Loki says that a comment repeated by various characters will “become a line”.

I really like the lighter side of Thor. Marvel films don’t tend to take themselves too seriously, which is cool.

Personally, I don’t think Chris Hemsworth is hugely attractive, but I am aware I’m in the minority. If you’re keen for a bit of eye-candy, you will appreciate this film.

But, if you’re wanting a pretty cool supernatural storyline with frightening villains, then you’ll be quite pleased with the twists and action scenes in this sequel. They jump through time and space which is ah-maz-ing. Any time travel enthusiasts will appreciate these elements.

I love the costumes of the dark elves – so creepy! Also, the environment the characters fought in were amazing – Iceland scenery of volcanic ash wastelands being the most impressive.

Worth a watch!
Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

The Jane Austen Book Club

Directed: Robin Swicord

Written: Robin Swicord. Based on the book of the same name written by Karen Joy Fowler

Released: September 2007

Starring: Maria Bello, Emily Blunt, Kathy Baker, Amy Brenneman, Maggie Grace, Hugh Dancy, Kevin Zegers, Marc Blucas, Jimmy Smits and Lynn Redgrave

—

This film is up there with Bridget Jones’ Diary, I reckon.

I got this DVD because there was a ‘buy two, get one free’ deal on. Since the choice was limited, I thought I’d give this a whirl.

I was concerned because I had no interest in any of Jane Austen’s romance novels and had little knowledge of the stories and characters. So I wondered if a film about people discussing these books would be confusing…

Not the case, surprisingly!

The first time I watched it, I was just like ‘meh’, better than a chick flick… But kind of average. So it gathered dust on my shelf until one day, boredom and exhaustion from watching my DVD collection five times over resulted in me indulging in The Jane Austen Book Club once again.

I have to say, I really love this film now. The six main characters are empowering and strong, they all relate to at least some part of your own personality or life experiences. I could literally write an entire in depth essay of each character if necessary, they are that ‘real’!

I’m loathed to say they are ‘very human’, but you get where I’m coming from… They are likeable and relatable.

This is a character-based film where each character has some sort of hurdle to overcome, or growth.

Maria Bello as Jocelyn

Jocelyn is my favourite! She’s never fallen in love, which she says is “all like fiction to me anyway”. She’s a dog-breeder, and if you catch onto her mannerisms early enough, you’ll notice she treats men like dogs – she’s strict, short-tempered and dominant with them. Jocelyn is known as the ‘match-maker’, always on the look-out on who she can pair people up with. She’s drawn to ‘Grigg’ because he’s “eager to please” and “tries hard”… Sort of like a dog.

“Alone’s not the end of the world. For as many years as you’ve been married I’ve been quite happily unmarried.”

Emily Blunt as Prudie

Prudie gets on my nerves SO much! But I can’t help but admire her. She is so elegant, controlled and feminine. Her mother was a hippy, so she has a systematic and professional lifestyle to distance herself from her past. However, she is falling for a rebellious student…

Prudie: Trey, you really shouldn’t come on to me.

Trey: Why? Because you’re a teacher? We’ll go back to my place…

Prudie: Let’s not and just wish we did.

Kathy Baker as Bernadette

I would love to have a best friend like Bernadette. She is optimistic and loves people. Bernadette is a free spirit and probably doesn’t think things through very much, she has been married and divorced six times. But she is totally in love with the idea of love and brags about her previous husbands like they are trophies – not regretting any of them.

“My first husband was a politician. He was embarrassed by every move I made. He said I was rude and loud. “Stop pointing your breasts everywhere,” he’d say to me. I was 17… I married the first man who looked at me… But I’d like to get married again, maybe just once more.”

Hugh Dancy as Grigg

Aww, Grigg! You almost feel sorry for him because he is so excitable and happy all the time. You just want to take him under your wing and look after him. He stumbled into the Jane Austen Club because Jocelyn was trying to set Sylvia up with him.

“Hi! Well, I’m excited. Never read anything by Jane Austen before. What is it? I went to the bookstore to buy a copy of each one of the novels, and I saw this. And I thought, ‘Well, maybe they’re sequels’. So, I figured it might be a good idea to keep them all together in one book, in case I needed to refer back…”

Amy Brenneman as Sylvia

Sylvia is a woman who is an amazing mother and best friend. Her husband who she has been with since highschool recently asked her for a divorce and she is devastated. However, toward the end of the film, she realises how much she has grown and changed – perhaps something she was never able to explore in her younger years.

“I don’t want to meet someone [else]. I wanna pull the covers over my head and read novels. And eat. I’m starving. Allegra, go get me a dozen eggs. I’m gonna make a flan.”

Maggie Grace as Allegra

Allegra is the daughter of Sylvia. She is a fresh-faced, alternative, out-doorsy young lady who immediately clashes with the tightly-laced Prudie. Allegra falls in love and trusts “too quickly” causing her strife. She is close to her mother and quickly becomes a strong component to the book club.

Bernadette: How’s Sylvia doing without Daniel?

Allegra: She’s still stuck in the wounded stage. When she’s ready for anger, I’m so there.

Each Austen novel has a curious relevance to each character’s life. The details are subtly interwoven into the story, so even if you haven’t read any Austen, you can guess pretty easily. If you are an Austen fan, you’ll relish the tibits they reference all through the script!

This ‘review’ is more of a character bio, so please excuse that! However, I have to say, the film relies on these characters so heavily, they really ARE the story.

I am so buying the soundtrack! Amazing songs! Particularly “Save Me” by Aimee Mann.

As a side note – I am such a fan of Robin Swicord now. She’s worked on Matilda, and even collaborated with the writers of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!

Awesome watch! But obviously not for everybody.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

Elysium

Director: Neill Blomkamp
Writer: Neill Blomkamp
Released: August 2013
Starring: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley, Alice Braga, Diego Luna, Wagner Moura and William Fichtner
—

What a concoction! An action sci-fi film with epic fight scenes, storyline, characters and sets.

Elysium (a term from Greek mythology referring to where the blessed dwell after death) is based in the year 2154 where Earth is polluted, diseased and overpopulated by the poor and dying.

On an artificial planet/space station not far from Earth is ‘Elysium’. This is a place populated by the wealthy, where robots and machines take care of all the work and security of the station. They have access to machines that can cure anything from cancer to old age.

We follow the struggle of Max Da Costa (Matt Damon), as his fight to get to Elysium is littered with obstacles and unexpected twists and turns, loss and conflict.

What I like about this film is how it’s not a cold-hearted sci-fi. Every development is paralleled by an emotional character change too. It is clear how Max’s perspectives and values shift as he grows through his traumatic experiences.

The fight scenes are extremely well choreographed and shot! Wow, I got chills when the camera was mounted on the gun, as it moved around – almost first person. The jerky/shaky camera work was effectively used, without giving anybody motion sickness. This technique certainly accentuates the gory scenes! Prepare yourselves for exploding people…

Because Earth was no longer divided by countries, it was a huge boiling pot of accents. A bit of French, Spanish, American, Afrikaans and English accents/dialects were all spoken, but subtly mixed.

The characters were wicked! Jodie Foster’s character verbally bitch-slapped anybody who stood in her way. She began speaking French, and then spoke with a posh English accent with an American twang here and there. I thought her English accent was an epic fail, but considering my previous paragraph, perhaps her accent is accurate of the era.

Matt Damon kicked ass! He’s a talented actor because he plays the emotive dramas (Good Will Hunting) convincingly, with the ability to do actions (Bourne trilogy…) well. These two strengths were perfect for the character.

You’ll all know him as Wikus (the “sveetie man”) in District 9, but Sharlto Copley was far from sweet in this film. He played a vicious character, Agent Kruger, very well indeed. I think he’s one of my favourite actors, up there with good ol’ Christoph Waltz.

The ‘sveetie’ man of District 9

My favourite character, however, was Spider (Wagner Moura). He was not a stereotypical ‘geek’, but an intelligent and complex person. His intentions are confusing at first, which makes his character strong and respectable.

The bad: There were a few dull scenes and minor plot annoyances, such as certain occurrences being a little too lucky. The motives of the villain – Agent Krugar – are relatively unknown/unconvincing. There were a few dull spots where my mind wandered a tad, and the final fight could have been more memorable.

If I had to illustrate what this movie is like, I would explain it by using the following recipe:

Ingredients:

A bunch of futuristic flying machines, that reminded me of Star Wars,
A few chase scenes and the adventure of Total Recall,
A pinch of In Time – the future representations are similar at times
The DIY surgical scenes of Looper
Shares some themes and familiar characters of I Am Legend
Chuck in some untrustworthy robot servants from I, Robot
Mix in the social divide of The Hunger Games,
And for the icing, spread on a DOLLOP of District 9. The set design, attitudes and props are similar. (Due to sharing the same writer and director)

Method:
Mix everything together. Add the neglected love interest, and a sprinkle of violent fire arms. Beat into submission and heat at magma level to make the hottest sci-fi film of 2013.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Now You See Me

Director: Louis Leterrier
Writers: Boaz Yakin and Edward Ricourt
Released: July 2013
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, Dave Franco, Mark Ruffalo, Mélanie Laurent, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman
—

Um. Yeeeeaaaah. So the reviews I had been reading before I went to see Now You See Me, basically stated that it was over-complicated and so layered that one would need to watch it more than once.

This is quite simply, not the case.

It is so clichéd, so typical, so obvious, that the ending could be guessed half way through the film.

The ‘twist’ is… Barely even a twist. It wasn’t shocking or unforeseen at all. My reaction was more like, “oh yeah. Hmm. I’m not surprised”.

So, it really is nothing like The Prestige. The magicians are superficial and unlovable, as are the other characters who are all underdeveloped. For the most part, they were unbelievable – despite the epic cast!

I usually love Woody Harrelson’s and Michael Caine’s work, but they really weren’t given the chance to shine. Their characters were brief and shallow. But oh my God, Jesse Eisenberg just got on my nerves! I can’t stand the characters he plays, who are usually very similar.

The story was like something seen on a long-running TV series like CSI or what not. It was so… Average.

The only cool parts were when they explained how the tricks were performed. That was quite effective.

Unfortunately, there were a lot of major jump-cuts that became jarring. Leaving out a lot of footage, although kept the pace, did make you feel disconnected from the film.

I am quite disappointed in this movie. Despite hearing negative reviews on this film I still went into the theatre expecting to be thoroughly entertained and mystified… Yeah.. Nah.

Meh! It’s okay. Nothing special.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

The Wolverine

Director: James Mangold
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie (uncredited), Mark Bomback and Scott Frank
Starring: Hugh Jackman, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tao Okamoto, Rila Fukushima, Famke Janssen, Svetlana Khodchenkova and Will Yun Lee
Released: July 2013
—

Average much!

I am a Wolverine fan though! Absolutely. The character is a wicked hero who didn’t fail to impress.

However, the storyline was bland, boring and predictable. Nothing special.

There were some great scenes though. The ninja scenes was rather entertaining. The fight scenes and roof jumping was cool too. But nothing really sticks in my mind as being outstanding.

I enjoyed the more light-hearted and comedic dialogue, similar to that of Iron Man at times, which fitted well.

The villain was absolutely ridiculous!! Every scene Viper was in she was wearing a little less clothing. She was not scary. Not cool. Not shocking. She was just creepy and weird…

A painfully average film. There were no real highlights, or overly appalling parts. The acting was not amazing, nor was the story. No twists, just a straight-shooting film.

However, the fact that Wolverine was portrayed as a convincing hero, did make the film worth-while.

Jodie’s rating: 5.5/10

The Conjuring

Director: James Wan
Writers: Chad Hayes and Carey Hayes
Released: July 2013
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Ron Livingston and Mackenzie Foy
—

That was the coolest horror movie I have experienced in a long while.

It was top of its game in the horror genre! It had all the things you love about horrors in one movie.
Creepy ‘chuckie’ dolls
Freaky children
Supernatural hauntings
Demonic exorcism
Based on true events

It’s got the lot! If you like sudden jumps, suspense AND interesting story lines, then you will love The Conjuring.

The story is surprising to say the least! The trailer makes it out to be a good old fashioned house haunting. In fact, the film is much more complex with various characters being directly linked to the hauntings. The hauntings are not necessarily by ghosts, but by demonic forces.

I read about the back story, and the film is pretty loosely based on it. A negative force or spirit, believed to be a previous owner named Bathsheba Sherman, allegedly tormented the mother, Carolyn Perron. However, that’s the main event that was included into the script, the rest were mostly embellishments. (Read more here).

Some of my favourite parts about the true events were left out of the movie. Like how ghosts were apparently whispering “there are seven dead soldiers hidden in the walls”, when in the movie, they changed it to “we want to kill your family”…

One of best things about this movie is that it isn’t too predictable. The Conjuring does not have a typical structure, it has many false climatic and low points which keeps you on edge. Also, there’s no mucking around with sceptical main characters in the beginning, you’re just thrown straight into the story!

My FAVOURITE thing about this movie is how the camera would linger on whatever was scary. It wouldn’t be like: ‘*Scream* oh my God… Did you see that?‘. It’s more like:
‘*Scream* oh my God! Get it off the screen! Pan the camera! I can’t watch! Is it still there!? Jeez!‘
Which was an awesomely affective technique…

Of course, expect some cringe-worthy and weird masks. This is a James Wan movie after all with some clear similarities with Insidious and Dead Silence.

Some of the acting was a little over the top, with a few cheesy lines. But pretty good for the most part.

If you’re going to watch The Conjuring, spend out to have the cinematic experience. The surround-sound is essential for many of the frights, which are very well timed! None of the jumps happen when you think they will, and when the frights do occur, they don’t hold back!!

Absolutely fantastically made! I don’t think we’ll see another horror this scary for a while.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

The World’s End

Director: Edgar Wright
Writers: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Released: July 2013
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Paddy Considine, Martin Freeman, Eddie Marsan and Rosamund Pike
—

…what the hell did I just watch..?

So I’m guessing most of you are huge Edgar-Simon-Nick combo fans! I’m sure you were just as psyched when you heard about the final instalment of the Cornetto trilogy being released!

Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World’s End – bring your check list for all of the similarities and shared jokes! It’s like being a part of a huge inside-joke.

Anyway! So I was so excited to see this film! But this was more wacky, more psychedelic, out of left-field, ‘what the hell’ material that I ever thought could be possible for these three guys to invent.

The movie started out awesomely! It was hilarious as they introduced the main characters.

The general storyline was that the five main characters wanted to complete the 12 pub pub-crawl they failed to finish in highschool. So these near-on 40 year olds begin their journey, until they realise the people in the town are super weird.

Many people in the town turn out to be blue-blooded robots. And a Shaun of the Dead-esk pursuit begins… It got pretty weird. Not going to lie.

Just on a deeper note, I felt the robots were a metaphor for being in the institution of 9-5 jobs and not fulfilling the more enjoyable parts of life.

Simon Pegg’s character is my favourite of all their creations within the trilogy! He was absolutely convincing! Fantastic!

Simon Pegg and Nick Frost had loosely swapped their Hot Fuzz characters around, as in, Nick Frost had the straight-laced character and Simon Pegg had the weird and lazy guy. It was cool to see a different side of them.

I wish more of the characters from the previous two films showed up in this one… Although I did adore Rosamund Pike! I’ve been a fan of hers since Made In Dagenham.

I felt bad noticing how old everybody looked in this film. But I LOVED how they wrote that into the script – their story is about 40 year olds rediscovering the freedom of their youth.

It was sort of nostalgic reflecting on how long ago Shaun of the Dead was made – 2004 and Hot Fuzz – 2007. For some reason, I think all of their fans feel like they’ve followed them on their journey for the last eight years.

I really want to see it again – I feel like it will be better the second time around. But, it’s definitely in third place within the trilogy, for me. I feel like the storyline was a little too similar to Shaun of the Dead, and it didn’t flow nearly as well as the other two films.

Just like the other two films, the structuring was impeccable. Although the ending was… Questionable.

However, the strong character development was enough to keep you totally engaged throughout the entire film. Let alone the well-choreographed fight scenes.

OMG I HAVEN’T REVIEWED HOT FUZZ YET! It’s on my priority list!

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
PS: You’re going to feel the urge for an ice cold lager after this movie.

World War Z

Director: Marc Forster
Writers: Matthew M. Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski. Based on World War Z by Max Brooks
Released: June, 2013
Starring: Brad Pitt and Matthew Fox
—

I love zombie films! They are probably my favourite kind of horror.

World War Z was an awesome, classic zombie film with big frights. It was not nearly as gruesome or cringe-worthy as many other zombie films like Dawn of the Dead or its sequel, which I think, although mildly disappointing, was an interesting change for the genre.

I won’t give away the unique trait of these zombies, but it is certainly a cool adjustment to the classic zombies you’ve seen in other films.

I can assure you, you will be intrigued with the altered storyline in this film. It’s not quite a cookie cutter zombie movie.

There was no mucking around at the beginning! There was like a five minute intro, then BANG! You’re in a world-wide zombie apocalypse.

There were heaps of moments where you were holding your breath, particularly the climatic parts which were the quietest and most suspenseful parts.

There was a scene, however, that could have been hugely suspenseful, but it was brushed over. It was the part where Brad Pitt’s character, Gerry, was out doing his thing, and his family were in a very compromising situation where their safe-haven may not be able to accommodate them anymore.

Gerry knew this and instead of making a fast-cut, intense race against the clock sort of sequence, it was just… Glazed over like the safety of the main characters were unimportant.

I loved the visual effects! The zombies manically climbing on top of each other like ants to get over the wall, the EPIC plane crash, the behaviour of the zombie mobs… Very well done.

Brad Pitt was a pretty good actor as usual, but nothing outstanding. He also produced it.

Oh! But there was a strong female character in this zombie film! Like, she was taking charge and not being all helpless and “damsel-in-distress” which was such a breath of fresh air. She was known as “Segen”, played by Daniella Kertesz. She’s my fave.

It was a decent zombie movie that wasn’t too far removed from the classic zombie, yet not a stale re-tell.

I don’t know if it’s my sick mind, but there wasn’t enough gore for it to be completely realistic…

I’m looking forward to the sequel!

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

The trailer makes this movie way suckier than it actually is.

The Great Gatsby

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writers: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce. Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby
Released: May 2013
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke
—

Visually, this film was MIND BLOWING! This is Moulin Rouge! on steroids.

The party scenes are phenomenal! The lights, the atmosphere, colours, fashion, music… It is ground breaking. Just beautiful sets, like we’re being sent to another world.

1368216172936.cached

The overall feel of the movie is very similar to the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Edward Scissorhands (the garden scenes) and of course, Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet. I think it’s because all of these movies are fantastical and out of this world.

The actors were very convincing, Leonardo DiCaprio gave another ground-breaking performance. Although his accent was a little confusing on occasion, his dialogue was incredible! I feel like speaking formally, like an upper class person from the 1920s now.

Gatsby: Come on, old sport!

I wasn’t expecting much from Toby Maguire, and for a while believed that Ewan McGregor could have done a better job, until it was mentioned to me that his “pluckiness” was what made his character convincing. Which, I thought was a good point.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Carey Mulligan, but I have to say she did a pretty decent job in this film – her eyes are incredible! Like, she plays such a depressed character, and her eyes tell you that from the first scene. Carey Mulligan has since become one of my favourite actors.

carey-mulligan-as-daisy-buchanan-in-the-great

The music was perfectly selected. Florence + the Machine’s Over Your Love is my new favourite song at the moment. But, the coolest track was Lana Del Rey’s 1920s Jazz version of the popular Young and Beautiful.

However, there were some major disappointments.

This is a film that is based strongly on characters. They fuel the story almost conclusively. Therefore, it was so disappointing that I did not become attached to any of the characters. I was not rooting for or against any of them – I didn’t feel like I had gotten to know them properly.

People are complicated, these characters were not, considering it was such a ‘people story’. Too many of their thoughts and emotions were not portrayed clearly. Most of the time there was a lot of emotion without obvious reasoning behind them.

I was forever looking too deep into the plot, expecting complicated and unforeseen twists. When in fact, the plot is too easy to figure out. I think it is supposed to be very mysterious, which was not portrayed in this film.

They should have kept the audience one step behind – like in the Sherlock Holmes films – until the end for a huge “I did not see that coming!” moment.

I wish the character development was more insightful, and the plot line more curious and unexpected.

Nevertheless, as I said at the beginning, the aesthetics were simply candy for the eyeballs. It enforces the idea that Baz Luhrmann was the ideal director for the film; the parties, grand interior shots and wonderland-esk exterior shots, simply gorgeous.

Oh, I bet Baz Luhrmann could have done an amazing version of Alice In Wonderland…

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

This is the End

Directors: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Writers: Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg
Released: June 2013
Starring: James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Michael Cera, Emma Watson, Rihanna…
—

If you enjoyed The Hangover, Ted, 21 Jump Street and Superbad, then you will probably love this movie.

It is about the end of the world and how it affects the stars of Hollywood. In the film, their public image is mocked and they play to their weaknesses. Like, what do you reckon Michael Cera, Jonah Hill and Christopher Mintz-Plasse are like at a party? Yeah, they play to your assumptions which is quite hilarious.

As the world comes to an end, those who did not get saved and go to heaven have to stay on Earth to fight for their survival.

this-is-the-end-hermione

Pretty much every Hollywood star did not get accepted into heaven, including Emma Watson, Rihanna and Paul Rudd. So as hell opens up, a devil-like creature attempts to hunt them down.

It is a movie that makes fun of every actor’s reputation, with Jonah Hill being the funniest.

The main characters are James Franco, Jonah Hill, Seth Rogen, Jay Baruchel, Danny McBride and Craig Robinson who are stuck in James’ mansion until they figure out a way to get into heaven, rather than hell.

this-is-the-end-character-posters-jonah-hill

They find ways to survive and pass the time…

…which gets pretty ugly.

But there are some hilarious scenes with frequent film references, which I loved. The only film reference I felt was missing was if they sung ‘Tribute” (Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny) to the beast. That would have been funny…

My favourite scene was when they were bored and tried to make a sequel The Pineapple Express using total am-cam footage, and Jonah Hill dressed up as Woody Harrelson.

Also, the part where Jonah Hill gets possessed and an exorcism takes place. They used the script from The Exorcist, but Jonah’s sarcastic replies were pretty funny.

Their humour is an acquired taste so it’s not everybody’s cup of tea. Including mine. But I can certainly appreciate the good parts – which there are more of than I was expecting.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10
Uh. Yeah, there’s a lot of swearing in the trailer… Just. FYI.

Man of Steel

Director: Zack Snyder
Writers: Christopher Nolan and David Goyer. Based on Jerry Siegal and Joe Shuster’s Superman
Released: June 2013
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni and Russell Crowe
—

I went to the Man of Steel premiere that I was eagerly awaiting. We dressed up as a character (me as Lois Lane) and joined a large audience of Clark Kents, with only two Supermans and one Lex Luthor.

The trailer showed extensive fight scenes, which I was concerned would dominate the entire movie. I also wasn’t sure how original this film could possibly get since there have been countless remakes.

I was correct in expecting a much more serious tone, which seems fitting with the recent flood of darker superhero movies on the market like Spiderman, Batman (The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises) and Iron Man movies. These superhero films seem to focus on the hero’s flaws and humanity.

Although, I do enjoy the scene when Clark Kent has his first day at the Daily Planet, and Lois says:

“Welcome to the planet”

Henry Cavill is the best Superman yet. This guy has the moves down! The furrowed brow, the all-American look and expressing the inner turmoil, yet still retaining the famous righteous attitude of the hero. However, this version of Superman did not have the hair curl on his forehead… That was mildly disappointing.

Cavill is super buff in this movie, unlike many former representations. The suit has changed into a darker blue, which looks like skin-tight armour rather than a cotton onesie. Yes, Clark has since figured out that underwear on the outside is an unpopular fashion statement.

When the full extent of his powers were realised, he was not immediately able to fly. Instead, he makes mistakes, jumping miles into the air and crashing down, which seemed more realistic.

The soundtrack is incredibly powerful and epic. It supports the movie perfectly! (By Hans Zimmer).

The storyline was surprising. With no Lex Luthor or Kryptonite. Instead, there was a more extensive back story about Krypton, what happened and why Superman is the way he is, which is not a major element in most other Superman versions.

Superman’s flashbacks were well done, and the filming had an am-cam look to it with quick zooms and re-focusing on the hero when he takes off from the ground suddenly or flies over head. Sort of puts you in the environment, as though you’re a part of the crowd on the ground.

The biggest disappointment was this; Amy Adams. She doesn’t look like a convincing Lois. Perhaps I’m used to Lois with dark hair. In conjunction with this, the fundamental character of Lois was totally uninspired. She was weak, awkward and generally stupid. I was expecting the female lead to be updated, to become a strong side-kick like Pepper Potts (Iron Man) or the strong female lead of Cat Woman (The Dark Knight Rises).

Instead, Lois Lane has not moved much further from the sixties where she is domineered by the male characters, with unconvincing actions and cringe-worthy dialogue. She appears to be an incompetent reporter, despite the attempt of remedying this perception by Lane casually mentioning all of the awards she has won as a journalist.

Shut-up, Lois.

I think I would have enjoyed the film more if there was more in-depth detail of the hero’s emotions, and development of the villain who didn’t seem complex enough to become totally believable. The extensive fight scenes (like in Star Trek Into Darkness) became an uphill struggle toward the end. Seriously, about half an hour of the film could have been easily cut. It did become exhausting to stay focussed through these scenes, but I didn’t hear any complaints from the boys I went to see the movie with.

Overall, a solid movie. Although a little long, with little character development, it was entertaining and a welcome update for all Superman fans.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Star Trek Into Darkness

Director: J.J Abrams
Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof
Released: April/May 2013
Starring: John Cho, Benedict Cumberbatch, Alice Eve, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Peter Weller and Anton Yelchin
—

I went to the midnight premiere of Star Trek Into Darkness! Pretty cool, guys. Pretty cool.
Although, I was quite disappointed that nobody dressed up…

I haven’t seen any previous Star Trek movies or television episodes, so I have to say I was at an emotional disadvantage, because I didn’t have a relationship with the characters that many others had.

Having said that, I did enjoy the movie – especially in 3D. It actually made the movie better. For once. The scenes in space were pretty epic with stars flying at your face. As for the sound effects though, the screechy scratchy gun fire put my teeth on edge.

The villain was incredible! John Harrison/Khan was played by Benedict Cumberbatch… His voice.. Oh my God… So amazing. However, Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu is my favourite character – I wish he had more dialogue.

Oh! Of course, Simon Pegg’s character Lieutenant Commander Montgomery “Scotty” Scott was pretty hilarious. Some great laugh-out-loud moments. Wicked fight scenes, particularly the final fight between Spock and Khan. Intense!

I am embarrassed to say that all of the jokes about Spock made by Sheldon Cooper on the Big Bang Theory finally make sense… -_-

Although it was an entertaining movie, I did find that it had the typical and predictable plot structure which made it all too easy to assume who would prevail. But perhaps that just comes with the genre. The morals of the story were pretty much spelled out for you too… Very little mystery.

A pleasing and entertaining sci-fi action film which will be popular among the Trekkies. There are no surprises or unexpected twists, so it really is more about the characters and nostalgia that comes with the territory of the long-running series.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10 (From the perspective of a Star Trek newbie)

Iron Man 3

Director: Shane Black
Writer: Based on Stan Lee’s Iron Man. Screenplay by Drew Pearce and Shane Black
Released: April 2013
Featuring: Robert Downey Jr., Gwenyth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale, Jon Favreau and Ben Kingsley
—

Holy crapolah. This movie… Guys… Just..

Wow.

This is a huge step away from the typical and clichéd superhero movies. This one is very funny with a switch up of roles among the characters. Like, it is an action-comedy with an underlying deep and meaningful storyline.

Throughout the movie, Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has anxiety attacks. Although I think it could have been more effective and emotional by having flashbacks, it was still pretty intense watching the usually unemotional hero break down.

The story is pretty decent, although I have to say that the villain, Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce) is a little disappointing. He isn’t overly scary, freaky, creepy or quirky. Just. A dude who was out to get Iron Man.

The new characters in this film include a boy named Harley who helps Tony Stark. Every conversation these two had is hilarious. Tony is his legendary sarcastic self.

Rebecca Hall played Dr. Maya Hansen who is a totally undeveloped and uninteresting character… She is almost pointless. Which is disappointing, because I really liked Rebecca Hall in The Prestige and I don’t think she could show her complete talent in this film due to the empty character.

I’m not a huge fan of Gwenyth Paltrow who plays Pepper Potts, but she definitely picks up her game in this movie – she is bad ass!

I reckon the music could have been way more epic…

Overall, though, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie! It was so funny, exciting and I didn’t get bored during the fight scenes.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

Jack the Giant Slayer

Director: Bryan Singer
Written: Darren Lemke and David Dobkin
Released: March 2013
Starring: Nicholas Hoult, Eleanor Tomlinson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McShane, Bill Nighy and Ewan McGregor
—

What an exciting cast! Bill Nighy, Stanley Tucci and Ewan McGregor! *drool*

I first saw the advert on the back of the bus, and quite frankly I thought it looked a little.. Lame.

I mean starting from Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, we have had remake after remake of these fairytales and fables; The Wizard of Oz, Mirror, Mirror, Snow White and the Huntsman…

jack_the_giant_killer_slayer — Yay! Ewan!

So to see Jack and the Beanstalk being remade was not a surprise, and I expected it to have similar disappointments with all of the other remakes.

Namely the fact that the violence has to be toned down so that it can be suitable for the younger audience. Despite the storyline being 100 times better if it went the full hog and making it an M.

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER — Oh hey, Ewan. What cha doin’ on the cliff there…

I was right. But it didn’t stop the story being enjoyable.

I do think the writers tried to cram a big storyline into a short amount of time – the intro seemed extremely rushed.

The special effects are amazing! Very well done. Getting the proportions convincing between the giants and the humans must have taken a bit of thought. Although, I still maintain that the giants should have had horses… Like, huge horses. That would have been cool.

Oh, and all the giants were male… I thought that was a bit odd.

Also, if I was designing where the giants lived, I would have made it way more fantastical, not just the average 16th century environment but quadruple the size.

Toward the end you will think you know exactly what will happen because it looks SO obvious leading up to it. However, I am happy to say that the writers did not take the easy way out. The ending isn’t as obvious and typical as one would expect.

This is a pleasantly entertaining film. Not hilarious or deep and meaningful. Just lightly entertaining. Nothing more than you would probably expect.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Director: Stephen Chbosky
Writer: Stephen Chbosky
Released (in NZ about a million years after every other country): March 2013
Starring: Emma Watson, Ezra Miller and Logan Lerman
—

Okay, it was NOTHING like I thought it would be like.

This is not a happy-go-lucky, up beat and freeing movie like the trailer makes it out to be. In fact, it has a lot of very serious themes, making this high school drama rather dark, and not at all light hearted.

Despite the totally unexpected storyline, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a very emotional journey – you laugh just as hard as you cry in some parts. So it evens out into a humbling story.

We accept the love we think we deserve.

C minus, ladies and gentlemen! I am below average!

The main character, Charlie (Logan Lerman) and both of his friends Sam (Emma Watson) and Patrick (Ezra Miller), each go through massive emotional roller coasters. Huge changes to their lives that are developed incredibly well. Feelings and emotions are messy, unexplainable and complicated. We battle between how we feel and who we really are, with what society says we should be, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower accurately represents this.

The acting by everyone was quite simply ground breaking. I don’t think I am over-exaggerating either.

Emma Watson has lovers and haters. The haters say her accent sucked, the fans say she was faultless. I say that her American accent was well done, but perhaps her articulate way of speaking let her down. I didn’t see Hermione at all in her performance of the outgoing Sam, which I think is something that Emma Watson should be applauded for.
Amazing.

Ezra Miller plays Patrick, a fun, loving, loyal guy who is the stepbrother of Sam. What I adore about this character is how well written he is – he’s not a stereotype by any stretch! This is such a breath of fresh air because he is homosexual, yet this does not define him. He stands up for himself and does not accept being victimised. Patrick is my favourite character because he doesn’t take life too seriously… I want him to be my best friend.

Shop teacher: …Are you proud to be a senior having to take freshman shop, Patty-Cakes?
Patrick: Look, my name is Patrick. Either you call me Patrick or you call me nothing.
Shop teacher: Nothing, why don’t you read first?
Patrick: Alright, Chapter 1: Surviving your fascist shop teacher who needs to put kids down to feel big. Oh wow! This is useful guys, we should read on!

The tunnel song - Heroes by Bowie — The tunnel song – Heroes by Bowie

The music is very well picked. Some of my favourite songs are included: David Bowie’s song Heroes, which is affectively used. I discovered Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners via this film – it is such a happy song with a great scene to go with it. Oh! And oh my God the Cocteau Twins’ incredible song Pearly-Dewdrops’ Drop! I hadn’t heard of them before this film either. These contrasting sounds and genres mirror the emotional tones of the movie.

This is not a typical high school drama at all! I think its genre would be similar to the likes of Seven Pounds.

Not what I was expecting, but not a disappointment by any stretch. It is thought provoking and intense. Just like life, there are huge ups and downs.

This movie is a realistic account of three teenagers and their relatable high school/college experiences .

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

The trailer of a very alternate idea of the movie… It is literally nothing like this.

Morning Glory

Director: Rodger Mitchell
Writer: Aline Brosh McKenna
Released: November 2010
Starring: Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford and Diane Keaton
—

I love this movie. This is my happy movie.

Rachel McAdams plays Becky Fuller, a workaholic who is made redundant. She eventually gets hired by a breakfast show that’s going down the pan. The story follows her struggles to rebuild herself, and the show.

There are some fantastic lines! Harrison Ford is so dry with his delivery. It’s so perfect!

Mike: Why do we have to mention that first cup of coffee? Why not just say, “Watch Mike Pomeroy before your morning dump?”

I love Becky because she has arms flailing all over the place, her hair is messy and she’s so intensely dedicated to her job. Rachel McAdams was reluctant to take this part because she said she’s not funny enough to be in a comedy. But I disagree! McAdams is so natural in this, she makes it funny in a Bridget Jones sort of way.

Morning Glory‘s morals are sort of similar to The Devil Wears Prada… Well, it’s written by the same person, so I guess that’s why. But they’re basically about how important a career can be to someone, treating it like a relationship. In fact, when Becky discusses her job, it sounds like she’s talking about a person.

I guess although I understand why the reviews of this movie are average, I personally love it because I can relate to the industry having studied television and journalism. Becky is a character who I would love to be! I want her hair, wardrobe, confidence and success.

Becky: Why haven’t they bumped you up [to executive producer]?
Lenny: It’s not for me. I did it for a couple of weeks once, but they put me back at Number Two. Apparently, the crying was distracting.

Keep an eye out for how Becky’s hair and clothes change as she grows and becomes more secure. It’s the attention to detail that makes this movie fun.

A very funny film, particularly if you’re familiar with the news industry!

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Bridesmaids

Director: Paul Feig
Writer: Annie Mumolo and Kristen Wiig
Released: May 2011
Starring: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper, Chris O’Dowd and Jill Clayburgh
—

I was put off of seeing this movie when it first came out because it just looked like The Hangover – but the female version. However, after seeing a few scenes of it over the last couple of years, I decided to buy it in the sales.

And boy am I glad! I haven’t laughed this hard in ages! It is a truly hilarious journey that these wacky characters go on – any one of them could have been the leading lady.

bridesmaids-annielillian

Nothing is going well for Annie (Kristen Wigg). Her bakery closed down due to the recession, she’s in her mid-30s and a hopeless spinster. Thankfully she still has her best friend, Lillian (Maya Rudolph).

Annie gets her heartbroken, however, when Lillian gets engaged and in the process of planning her wedding, finds a new best friend named Helen (Rose Byrne). Helen appears superior to Annie in every way. Their rivalry eventually gets Annie kicked out of the wedding planning.

bridesmaidsengagement

Their friendship is so well portrayed – I swear they must be best friends in real life, with the quirks and inside jokes that anyone who has had a super close friend will recognise. Anybody who has had a close friend move away or move on will totally get the pain and loss that Annie experiences in this.

Unlike many comedies, the characters in Bridesmaids are more than two-dimensional. They are all relatable or recognisable. The characters – including the loyal yet totally bizarre Megan (Melissa McCarthy) who is absolutely hilarious, straight up and blunt – are amazing.

megan-dolphin

Megan: I fell off a cruise ship… I’m not gonna say I survived, I’m gonna say I thrived. I met a dolphin down there. I swear to god that dolphin looked not at me, but into my soul, into my goddamn soul Annie, and said ‘I’m saving you, Megan.’ Not with his mouth, but he said it… I’m assuming telepathically.

Kristen Wigg is an incredible actor. After seeing her in Whip It I thought she was pretty cool, but her performance is so convincing in Bridesmaids that she is definitely one of my new favourite actors.

bridesmaids-photo-kristen

Passenger on plane: I had a dream last night that we went down. It was terrible… You were in it.

A ton of crazy hilarious events happen along the way. Including food poisoning (which was actually super gross…), as well as very interesting encounters with Annie’s room mates, siblings Brynn (Rebel Wilson – I love her in Pitch Perfect) and Gil (Matt Lucas).

Brynn: At first I did not know that it was your diary. I thought it was a very sad, hand-written book. But then because of the personal details and the bits that mentioned Gil and Brynn…

The soundtrack is pretty awesome, with a song that I first heard on Bridesmaids (that has now put on repeat) called Paper Bag by Fiona Apple. Check it out!

This film is clearly not for everyone though. It has a decent amount of swearing and a lot of sexual references so be careful who you watch it with.

It is a hilarious story that is written and performed extremely well.

Loved it!
Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Can I just say that half of the dialogue in this trailer is not actually in the film… Nevertheless, the facials in this films are so funny!

Oz: The Great and Powerful

Director: Sam Raimi
Writers: David Lindsay-Abaire andMitchell Kapner. Based a series by
L. Frank Baum
Starring: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Bill Cobbs and Joey King
—

Oz is a young children’s movie. Something I was quite unaware of until I was sitting bored brainless in the theatre.

It was an okay movie with a fantastical world of colour and mystery. But essentially no surprises or twists at all. The happily-ever-after ending was inevitable and the actions of the characters predictable.

oz_the_great_and_powerful_wicked_witch

Just watch Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland. It’s pretty much the same story but a more mature version closer to the roots of the original fable.

Obvious similarities between the two fantastical tales include:

A fantasy land
Oz
Wonderland

Dark queen versus a white queen fighting for the throne of a land
Theodora/Evanora versus Glinda
The Red Queen versus the White Queen

White Queen not able to harm any living creature

Dark Queen banished from the land

A talking animal and mentor
Finley
Cheshire Cat

Dude with a hat
Oscar Oz
Hatter

Small squeaky character:
China Girl
Dormouse

The beginning is in shot as 4:3 (square) and black and white, then becomes 16:9 (wide screen) and colourful as soon as the Wizard reaches Oz, which was a creative change. Pretty cool.

oz-the-great01

I’m never sure how to rate children’s movies, but considering this film led me to believe that it was entertaining for all ages eventuated as disappointing. For a mystical and fantastical land it required little imagination, especially with the characters being very stereotypical.

The acting was nothing special. I enjoyed Rachel Weisz’ performance, but I always like how she portrays characters. I was looking forward to Mila Kunis’ performance but it was sort of average, so was Michelle Williams’.

Rachel-Mila-oz

Children under 11-years-old will probably enjoy it. Otherwise you’ll just be paying for an afternoon nap in the cinema.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

Dead Poets Society

Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Tom Schulman
Released: June 1989
Featuring: Robin Williams
—

Imagine Good Will Hunting + Scent of a Woman… and with a touch of The Ron Clark Story. That pretty much gives you Dead Poets Society.

It is a great story about breaking the mould. Not being what your father wants you to be, not giving into the black and white versions of education, but finding the creativity in it and allowing your imagination to run riot.

Tradition. Honour. Discipline. Excellence.
Travesty. Horror. Decadence. Excrement.

Robin Williams plays John Keating who is an English teacher with unorthodox teaching methods in a private all boys school. The tradition and formality of the school keeps the students as a uniform with little individuality. But Keating is able to bring out the strengths in them and encourage creativity.

It is one of the most inspiring movies, particularly because Robin Williams is so brilliant.

There are so many amazing scenes in this film, but I think this one below is my favourite. Keating brings out the best in a painfully shy student, showing him what he’s capable of by pushing him to open up:

I thoroughly enjoy these philosophical films, especially with the quirky Robin Williams whose improvisation skills are beyond any I have seen. He is amazing.

His character is everybody’s favourite teacher. Somebody who recognises the students weakness and strengths and getting the best out of them using methods that are best for them, even though they may not be necessarily typical of a prep school environment.

Lookatthingsdifferently — Look at things from a different perspective.

Dead Poets Society is uplifting and inspiring but also shocking and morose. It delves into the worst of humanity as it explores the desperation of students trying to escape the clutches of tradition.

Jodie’s Rating: 8.5/10

The Butterfly Effect

Directors: Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber
Writer: Eric Bress and J. Mackye Gruber
Released: January 2004
Featuring: Ashton Kutcher and Amy Smart
—

Soooo creepy! But in an awesome way. I have never seen anything like this film before.

Of course I was weary about Ashton Kutcher being in a serious thriller, but he was fantastic! Like, seriously convincing.

The Butterfly Effect is where a seemingly innocuous act can have a domino effect and create chaos.

It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly‘s wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world.

This film plays on this theory where Ashton’s character, Evan, has the ability or curse to travel back to predetermined points in his life. But every time he tries to make one thing better, something else goes terribly wrong. There are five main characters and if he saves one, one of the others experience a huge trauma in their life. He never wins.

Evan's father had the same abilities. — Evan’s father had the same abilities.

It is an amazing film, truly. I get so creeped out by it though. I think it is 60% because of the music used, it is perfect for the story. I love time travel and this is a very dark story of the possibilities behind the ability to do so.

A very intense, scary, worrying, cringe-worthy and incredibly delusional story of how something bad, no matter how small, can grow and shape somebody’s life. The powerlessness that Evan feels and the consequences that he has to live with is impacted on the viewer, for sure.

It is written so well! The twists and turns, the gaps and surprises. The ending is not easy to guess either.

Jodie’s rating: 8.5/10
It’s a pretty complicated storyline to explain in a 2min trailer, so, just know that it’s way cooler than this:

Walk the Line

Director: James Mangold
Writer: James Mangold and Gill Dennis
Released: November 2005
Featuring: Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon
—

I thoroughly enjoyed this biopic about one of the best country rock n roll singers of the sixties, Johnny Cash.

Joaquin Phoenix did an incredible job of becoming Johnny Cash. His natural intensity was perfect for the really heavy and dark life of Johnny Cash. I didn’t know much about Johnny Cash until I impulsively bought this movie. I had a few of his songs and enjoyed them, but assumed that he was just a country singer for geriatrics.

walk-the-line-folsum — Performing in Folsom Prison

It turns out that Johnny Cash’s life and the people he rubbed shoulders with is incredible. The stories he has are inspiring. I am not sticking up for everything that Johnny Cash did, but I have to say that it was so unfortunate that he was married with children just before he reached his dream of being a musician. He let that old life go, hurting his family, and continue on following his dreams and the new life that come with it.

A lot of ups and downs which can become exhausting to watch, however, that just proves how convincing the film was; it really put you in Cash’s shoes.

Reese Witherspoon, having not enjoyed her performances for almost all of her movies, pleasantly surprised me in Walk The Line. She was very convincing as June Carter and I have a new found respect for her.

Joaquin and Reese both did their own vocals… I’m afraid that I enjoyed their vocal performances more that the original Johnny and June performances! I feel bad for saying that, but their sound is so upbeat and their voices are quite similar to Johnny and June’s. Very well done indeed!

I love the sixties – as I am sure you are aware – so seeing Elvis, Jerry Lee Lewis and a few of my other favourite rock n roll stars was awesome! The clothes, the atmosphere that was so convincingly authentic was beautiful.

Can you name all of the rock and roll stars?

A gorgeously filmed biopic with fantastic actors and characters.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

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
—

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

Burlesque

Director: Steven Antin
Writers: Susannah Grant. Screenplay by Steven Antin and Diablo Cody
Released: November 2010
Starring: Christina Aguilera, Cher, Eric Dane, Cam Gigandet, Kristen Bell, Julianne Hough, Alan Cumming, Peter Gallagher, Stanley Tucci, Dianna Agron
—

So, Burlesque is pretty much a lighter, chick flick version of Moulin Rouge. It is an upbeat, modern story with back to back songs that make you want to get up and dance.

Christina Aguilera is a singer who I admire for her talent, yet if I am honest, I do not enjoy her music.

Amazing costumes, with themes ranging from the classic 1940s to the 1960s. She does an amazing job during the scenes where she is performing on stage. However, for the most part her acting is much to be desired. Her squeaky voice gets a little on nerves considering she has such a deep, powerful singing voice.

The same goes for Cher, her acting was average… But so was her auto-tuned voice. I’m not convinced that she should really be classed as “a legend”…

I swear Life After Love is the only successful song of hers that I can think of.

But Stanley Tucci is one of my favourite actors – he is great in this movie as usual!

Burlesque-tucci

I don’t love the songs enough to buy the soundtrack. But there are a couple that are pretty catchy! Unfortunately, Christina Aguilera’s voice is so distinct that sometimes her improvisation during the songs can become irritating. Hence why I have never bought an album of hers.

burlesqueCA

Following a typical chick-flick structure, the ending is no surprise. Over used morals of “do what you love”, “just do it” and “don’t give up” drowns this movie. But it is a film that is not supposed to be much more than enjoyable.

Looking for a pick me up? I think this high-energy, fun film will do the trick!

(Moulin Rouge + Glee = Burlesque)
Jodie’s rating: 6/10