All Film Reviews – Page 3

Eat Pray Love

Director: Ryan Murphy
Writer: Ryan Murphy Jennifer Salt (screenplay), Elizabeth Gilbert (novel)
Released: August 2010
Starring: Julia Roberts, James Franco, Richard Jenkins, Viola Davis, Billy Crudup, Javier Bardem
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I have avoided writing this review for years because the thought of it exhausts me, as did the film.

Eat Pray Love is about Elizabeth Gilbert (Julia Roberts) who has a large home, a husband and a great job, but she feels empty and without an ‘appetite’ for life. She soon instigates a divorce from her husband (Billy Crudup) whom she feels no connection to, before having a rebound relationship with David (James Franco).

Elizabeth: Hadn’t I wanted this? I had actively participated in every moment of the creation of this life. So why didn’t I see myself in any of it? The only thing more impossible than staying… was leaving. I didn’t want to hurt anybody, I wanted to slip quietly out the back door and not stop running until I reached Greenland.

A comment in the early part of the film that sticks in my head is by Elizabeth’s best friend Delia (Viola Davis). She says that Elizabeth used to look like Steven (her ex-husband), and now she looked like David (her rebound boyfriend).

As in, she was trying to find herself in others and consequently copying the way they dressed. I thought that was insightful and very relatable because when you don’t know who you are, you pretend to be someone else.

So Elizabeth decides to go travelling for a year to Italy to find her appetite again (eat), then India to experience peace (pray), and then Bali for balance, which turns into love.

Elizabeth: I used to have this appetite for my life, and now it’s gone! …I want to go somewhere where I can marvel at something.

Julia Roberts was the perfect choice because she plays a down-to-earth, complicated and romantic character. Her character is also quite inspirational as she does exactly what she tells everyone she’s going to do; travel!

She’s especially inspirational in comparison to her rebound actor boyfriend David who talks a lot about what he’s going to do but never actually does it.

Elizabeth: If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey… then the truth will not be withheld from you.

Eat Love Pray does have a particularly ‘privileged, rich, skinny, white woman is feeling sad’ kind of vibe. So I can imagine this detracts from the message significantly. Especially when the slim characters supposedly get ‘muffin tops’ from eating too much pizza and pasta. Like, girl, there’s nothing to you!

Nevertheless, there are a lot of philosophical lessons that are learnt by Elizabeth along the way, which I enjoy. It truly is a very personal discovery that she goes through, with her self-reflection and life lessons being relatable and aspirational.

In Italy, she learns to enjoy herself and not worry about her waistline. She learns to taste, enjoy, not feel guilty and to not deny herself of feeling good.

Luca Spaghetti: Americans! You work too hard. …you don’t know pleasure. You have to be told you’ve earned it. You see a commercial that says, “It’s Miller time”… and you say, “That’s right. Now I will go to buy a six-pack”. And drink the whole thing and wake up the next morning and you feel terrible.
But an Italian doesn’t need to be told. He walks by a sign that says, “You deserve a break today”… and he says, “Yeah, I know. That’s why I’m planning on taking a break at noon… to go over to your house and sleep with your wife”.

In India, she learns to block out the noise and to live in the moment. She learns to make peace with her past and let resentment go.

Richard from Texas: Big deal. So you fell in love with someone
Elizabeth: But I miss him.
Richard from Texas: So Miss him! Send him light and love when you think of him and then drop it!

Finally, in Bali, she discovers true love.

Filipe: You don’t need a man, Liz. You need a champion.

While in theory this should be a film I absolutely adore, unfortunately it is simply far too long (two and a half hours) with too many complicated internal conflicts to digest.

But I do appreciate that a lot of people can relate to running away from a ‘perfect’ life to search for themselves across the world.

Overall, it’s got strong messages but by the end I felt like I had travelled the world myself. I was exhausted.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Directors: Glenn Ficarraa, John Requa
Writer: Dan Fogelman
Released: July 2011
Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone, Marisa Tomei, Kevin Bacon
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Initially reminding me of other star-studded, multi-storyline films like Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Day and Love Actually, I didn’t have high-hopes for this ‘dramedy’. However, I was pleasantly surprised – it’s very funny indeed.

It follows several storylines that all end up being intertwined. But it begins with Emily (Julianne Moore) who cheats on her husband Cal (Steve Carrel). Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on a moping Cal and gives him a fashion and ego make-over.

Steve Carrel – who is also a producer of this movie – wanted the film to be called ‘The Wingman’ as it accurately described the main storyline. But it was eventually decided that it was a boring title and Crazy, Stupid, Love was chosen instead. (Even though it’s a girlie title, and inaccurate as there’s not a lot of ‘crazy’ in the film.)

Jacob: Are you the billionaire owner of Apple Computers?
Cal: No.
Jacob: Oh, ok. In that case, you’ve got no right to wear New Balance sneakers, ever.

Meanwhile, Jacob starts dating Hannah (Emma Stone), who I find to be very relatable and down-to-earth. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone have brilliant chemistry and have been a couple in two more films since Crazy, Stupid, Love – Gangster Squad and La La Land.

I feel like they should be together in real life too.

Hannah: Will you take off your shirt… Seriously? It’s like you’re Photoshopped!

Crazy, Stupid, Love delves into the unabashed journey of falling in love, including all the embarrassments and relatable moments. All the while, the jokes come thick and fast to keep the drama light.

It is a fun, quirky and hilarious film – it’s certainly an easy watch. This film is not as shallow as the promotions make it appear either, and the talented cast keep you laughing all the way through.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Cinderella (2015)

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Chris Weitz. Based on Disney’s Cinderella.
Released: March 2015
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Lily James, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgård, Holliday Grainger, Derek Jacobi, Helena Bonham Carter
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Speaking of Disney live-action remakes and royal weddings, I remembered that I never wrote a review about Cinderella. There are so many Disney princess films and wedding movies on the tellie at the moment, so I thought I’d join in.

As with every Disney princess movie, one must take it with a pinch of salt. It will be a little cringe, over-dramatic, a little too perfect and very girly. But isn’t that what princess films are all about?

This live-action remake features Lily James as Cinderella, whose career seems to have been majorly boosted after this film came out. I remember at the time I was a bit disappointed in the casting because I didn’t know who this random was, but now I’d say it’s a perfect choice.

Not only was she the perfect ‘look’ for Cinderella, but she brought a little bit of personality to the character too (unlike Mia Wasikowska in Alice in Wonderland.). Lily James stays honest to the Cinderella we’ve come to know, while still being down to earth.

Ella’s mother: Have courage and be kind.

If you thought her waist was digitally made smaller, I can confirm this was not the case. Lily James has a naturally small 24 inch waist, and as she was wearing a corset in a billowy dress the appearance was an unnaturally tiny waist.

What about the glass slippers? While the close up of the glass slipper is real, it doesn’t actually fit Lily James’s foot. The rest of the time they’re CGI glass slippers.

Apparently Emma Watson was originally asked to play Cinders but she turned it down. She later went on to be cast as Belle in Beauty and the Beast.

Watson claimed she had more of an affinity with Belle than Cinderella. She also said Belle is a better role model, but I call BS on that statement. Disney princesses are all as shallow as each other. Just because Belle reads a lot doesn’t make her morally better than Cinderella.

I digress.

Helena Bonham Carter was a brilliant fairy godmother. Being in the Harry Potter movies perhaps made her well-practiced with a wand. She isn’t a sickly-sweet fairy godmother, in fact she’s rather brash, but it works!

(It is of course rather scandalous that she was cast because the director Kenneth Branagh cheated on Emma Thompson with Helena Bonham Carter back in the nineties.)

Fairy Godmother: Now off you go. For you shall go to the ball!

Cate Blanchett was the evil stepmother, and you truly came to hate her and her daughters. Cate and her bone structure are brilliant.

My favourite part is of course when the mice get turned into horses, the lizard into the coachman and the goose into a driver. It’s so magical!

Cinderella stays loyal to the original tale, and doesn’t try to be too different. It is a truly magical film, albeit cheesey. But isn’t that what Disney princess films are all about?

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Saving Mr. Banks

saving mr banks.jpg

Welcome to the 400th post! It’s taken six years and four months to get here.

Director: John Lee Hancock
Writer: Kelly Marcel, Sue Smith
Released: November 2013
Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti, Jason Schwartzman, Bradley Whitford, Colin Farrell
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I think Saving Mr. Banks is a brilliant take on the Mary Poppins story. It’s not a remake or a sequel, it’s more of the ‘behind the scenes’ of the classic Mary Poppins story. It’s the story behind the story.

It follows Pamela Travers (Emma Thompson) who is approached by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) himself regarding her children’s book series, Mary Poppins.

Walt Disney: Look at you! I could eat you up!
P.L. Travers: That wouldn’t be appropriate.

saving mr banks3.jpg

While we follow her reluctancy to give up the copyright, her guard is ever so slowly lowered as we begin to find out the root of her Poppins stories. They are in fact based on a lady who comes to look after young Travers and her siblings while her dad, ‘Mr. Banks’ (Colin Farrell) suffers alcoholism and slowly dies.

saving mr banks2.jpg

It comes to be that the Mary Poppins character in Travers’s childhood is a woman who isn’t there to save her or her siblings, but is there to try and save her beloved father. Hence why Travers is so reluctant to have her stories meddled with; she’s still coming to terms with the guilt.

Walt Disney: “No whimsy or sentiment!” says the woman who sends a flying nanny with a talking umbrella to save the children.
P.L. Travers: You think Mary Poppins is saving the children, Mr. Disney?
[Walt and the other filmmakers are stunned silent]
P.L. Travers: Oh, dear!

saving mr banks4.jpg

Throughout the melancholy scenes are the uplifting songs that Walt Disney’s composers are developing. The music that we associate with the 1964 Mary Poppins musical is reused to support Travers’s journey of trusting Walt Disney and their rocky working relationship.

Richard Sherman: Room here for everyone / Gather around / The constable’s “responstible!” / Now how does that sound?
P.L. Travers: No, no, no, no, no! “Responstible” is not a word!
Richard Sherman: We made it up.
P.L. Travers: Well, un-make it up.

Saving Mr Banks is an incredible story that simultaneously warms and breaks your heart. I was crying my eyes out through much of this film, especially the ‘let’s go fly a kite’ scene, holy Jesus. It brings a whole new meaning and depth to the Mary Poppins we have come to know.

Tom Hanks was the perfect choice to play Walt Disney. They both have an optimistic persona, while being untouchable American treasures.

I love this ‘prequel’ of sorts to the Julie Andrews musical. It’s entertaining and insightful, although perhaps a little dry in places, and a little too heavy in others.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Top 7: Live-Action Disney Remakes Coming Soon

Disney has been creating films since 1923, beginning with an Alice in Wonderland cartoon series. But it wasn’t until 1937 that the memorable Snow White and the Seven Dwarves animation was released. Ever since then, Disney Studios has had a fairytale film career with many major successes.

I’m sure everyone holds a Disney animation close to their hearts because of its influence on our childhoods. (Mine is Sleeping Beauty (1959), which I grew up watching on VHS throughout the nineties.) Even today, children are still growing up watching Disney films.

Disney is continuing with its successful films about princesses and magic, but more live-action remakes of the classics are in development rather than brand new animated tales.

It seems we can’t stop loving the old stories. Or, perhaps the old-fashioned animations don’t fascinate the iPad-savvy kids of today.

WHAT REMAKES ARE COMING NEXT?
With rumours of The Lion King being remade as a live-action, I didn’t realise how many more are in the pipeline until I looked into it.

Most recently, the trailer for the film Mowgli was released by Warner Brothers.
(Although, does anyone else feel like this is an identical remake of Disney’s live-action The Jungle Book? Read about the twin movie phenomenon here.)

See if your favourite Disney picture is being remade as a live-action below.
Which one are you most excited for?

Christopher Robin (2018)
Remake of: Disney’s Winnie the Pooh (1966)
Although not my cup of tea, I appreciate that Winnie the Pooh is close to the hearts of many, and after watching the trailer (please see below) I expect to cry all the way through it anyway. This live-action film is directed by Marc Forster and will be released this coming August. Christopher Robin is all grown up in this film, and will be played by Ewen McGregor.

Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Sequel to: Mary Poppins (1964)
Emily Blunt will star as Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins Returns, which is to be released at Christmas time this year. That’s 54 years after the original live-action Mary Poppins film, which is the longest gap between live-action film sequels in history. It’ll also star the beloved Julie Walters, Colin Firth, Meryl Streep and Ben Whishaw. While not technically a remake, it is a live-action sequel of the beloved Mary Poppins.

Dumbo (2019)
Remake of: Dumbo (1941)
(Yeah, I’m put off by the above image too.) Dumbo, the live-action remake, will be released in March 2019 and directed by Tim Burton. Burton is a natural choice because he began his career on Disney’s Fox and the Hound (1981), co-produced James and the Giant Peach before directing Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Alice through the Looking Glass (2016). Dumbo will star Colin Farell, Michael Keaton and Danny DeVito.

Aladdin (2019)
Remake of: Aladdin (1992)
To be released in May 2019, this live-action remake will be directed by Guy Ritchie, co-written by John August (Big Fish) and will feature Will Smith as the genie (I miss Robin Williams!). However, there has been some controversy regarding casting, with complaints from fans of ‘white-washing’ after non-Arab, non-Middle Eastern actors were cast.

The Lion King (2019)
Remake of: The Lion King (1994)
To be released in July 2019, I’m sure this is one of the most anticipated live-action Disney films since the release of the animation in 1994. Directed by Jon Favreau (Elf) with Donald Glover cast as Simba, Beyonce as Narla, and Billy Eichner and Seth Rogan as Timon and Pumbaa respectively.

Mulan (2020)
Remake of: Mulan (1998)
I get told off frequently when I admit that I haven’t seen the original animated Mulan, but I hear it is a favourite for many. The storyline is different to all other Disney princess fairytales after all. Not much is known about the film yet but casting for Mulan appears to have been a bit of a drag as casting took place across five continents and 1000 people were auditioned for the iconic part. The director is New Zealand’s very own Niki Caro.

Cruella (TBC)
Spin off of: One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
We know jack about Cruella de Vil so far, only that Cruella will be played by the amazing Emma Stone. Strange choice, but I have full confidence that Emma Stone will be brilliant.

There are even more live-action Disney films in early development including Pinocchio, another Snow White film called Rose Red, and a Cinderella-based film called Prince Charming.

There’s a Lady and the Tramp live-action/CGI version coming out in 2019. This is to be directed by Charlie Bean.

The Little Mermaid is being made into a live-action three times! The first one is to be released is a loosely-based indie version, which is to come out in 2019. Universal is working on a version with Richard Curtis as the writer and starring Chloe Moretz, and Disney is in extremely early talks about their film.

There’s also two Peter Pan films in the making: Peter Pan is to be directed by David Lowery, and fans are crossing their fingers hoping that Tom Hiddleston will be cast as Captain Hook. The second Pan film is Tinker Bell, featuring Reece Witherspoon (originally Elizabeth Banks) as Tink!

(Thanks to time.com for the tip offs!)

TIMELINE OF THE DISNEY CLASSICS:
Which is your childhood favourite?

1937 – Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
1940 – Pinocchio
1941 – Dumbo
1942 – Bambi
1950 – Cinderella
– Disney’s first ever live-action film Treasure Island
1951 – Alice in Wonderland
1953 – Peter Pan
1955 – Lady and the Tramp
1959 – Sleeping Beauty
1961 – One Hundred and One Dalmatians
1964 – Mary Poppins (live-action)
1966 – Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree
– Walt Disney dies on December 15 of lung cancer
1967 – The Jungle Book
1970 – The Aristocats
1973 – Robin Hood
1981 – The Fox and the Hound
– First Disney home video released (Dumbo)
1989 – The Little Mermaid
1991 – Beauty and the Beast
1992 – Aladdin
1994 – The Lion King
1995 – Pocahontas, Toy Story
1996 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame, James and the Giant Peach, 101 Dalmations (live-action)
1997 – Hercules
– First Disney DVDs released
1998 – Mulan, A Bug’s Life
1999 – Tarzan, Toy Story 2
2000 – The Emperor’s New Groove, 102 Dalmatians (live-action)
2001 – Monsters, Inc.
2002 – Lilo & Stitch
2003 – Finding Nemo
2004 – The Incredibles
2006 – Cars
– Disney acquires Pixar studios
2007 – Ratatouille
2009 – Up, A Christmas Carol
2010 – Alice in Wonderland (live-action), Toy Story 3, Tangled
2012 – Wreck-It Ralph
2013 – Oz: The Great and Powerful (live-action), Monsters University, Frozen
2014 – Big Hero 6
2015 – Cinderella (live-action), Inside Out, Brave
2016 – The Jungle Book (live-action), Alice Through the Looking Glass (live-action), Finding Dory, The BFG (live-action), Moana
2017 – Beauty and the Beast (live-action)
2018 – The Incredibles 2
2019 – Toy Story 4, Frozen 2

Along with the classics are well-known stories with a twist: Saving Mr Banks is the heartwarming ‘behind the scenes’ story of Mary Poppins, while Maleficent is about the villain in Sleeping Beauty, and Into the Woods is a jumble of well-known fairytale characters in a musical.

Tangled

Director: Nathan Greno, Byron Howard
Writer: Dan Fogelman. Based on Rapunzel by Brothers Grimm
Starring: Mandy Moore, Zachary Levi, Donna Murphy
Released: November 2010
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Based on the Brothers Grimm classic, Rapunzel, this modern tale Tangled brings the comedy back.

While it’s sad that Harry and Meghan’s Royal Wedding is now over, we can at least enjoy all the other Royal Weddings on the big screen – including Rapunzel’s. Tangled may be eight years old, and the original story released in 1812, but Rapunzel is still a classic!

A notorious thief called Eugene Fitzherbert AKA ‘Flynn Rider’ (Zachary Levi), finds a tall tower to climb and hide in while being chased. But he soon realises he’s not alone. Rapunzel (Mandy Moore) is energetic and naive, but well-trained in self-defence. Skills that come in handy when Flynn intrudes.

Quick note: Zachary Levi sounds an awful lot like Will Ferrell in Megamind…

She has been locked in this tall tower by the witch, Mother Gothel (Donna Murphy), who unbeknown to Rapunzel, raised her after being kidnapped from the king and queen at birth.

As per traditional fairytales, our heroine has an animal best friend by her side. In this case it’s a chameleon called Pascal who mocks Flynn frequently. However, my favourite animal is by far the horse (of course) named Maximus. He is incredibly sassy and reminds me a lot of my pony’s personality. Worryingly.

This is a fun fairytale that has some much needed updating. While our heroine has retained her innocence, she is far from helpless and uses her hair as a weapon rather than solely a lure for handsome men to climb.

Despite it not being Disney’s best princess film, and despite the frequent songs (which is to be expected I know) this is a quirky, funny and thoroughly enjoyable Sunday afternoon watch with the family.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Top 5: Worst Wedding Films

Here is the sequel to my first post, Top 10 Best Wedding Films.

This post only has five films because it was torture watching them all and I simply couldn’t continue with it. But I could imagine that License to Wed, The Big Wedding, Made of Honor and numerous other cheap Hollywood flops would be on this list if I had the strength to watch them.

So here are a few to avoid because of either their lack of entertainment or because they bring your worst wedding nightmares to life:

Father of the Bride (1991)
This film is not recommended as it’s likely to be your worst nightmare too. From the perspective of a soon-to-be bride, Father of the Bride becomes a terrifying movie. As parents of the bride, George (Steve Martin) and his wife Nina (Dianne Keaton) pay for the entire wedding, but the cost of 500+ guests threatens debt and money troubles for the modest Banks family. I hate the thought of taking advantage of my parents like this. The final scene is heartbreaking too.

Runaway Bride (1999)
Not only is Julia Roberts’s character Maggie highly unlikable, it’s also a repeatable storyline that feels like it’s never going to end. It’s boring, slow and feels like the story is on a loop: she gets engaged, plans a wedding, gets to the aisle and runs. She gets engaged, plans a wedding, gets to the aisle and runs… This happens six times. It’s exhausting.

I Give it a Year (2013)
I wouldn’t recommend seeing this film if you’re about to get married because it’s essentially about a couple who realise they made a mistake marrying each other. After they try to make it work, they soon cheat on each other. I Give it a Year keeps it light and funny despite the themes of temptation and regret. Nevertheless, it was a bit of a downer.

Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994)
While I always said ‘I don’t like this movie’, it wasn’t until I watched it recently that I realised I’d never seen it before in my life – I was confusing it with Death at a Funeral. Nevertheless, while I appreciate Four Weddings and a Funeral is a favourite among many, I can confidently confirm that I do not like this film either. It is so boring. It’s pointless. There are too many characters. Hugh Grant’s character has a crush on Andie MacDowell’s character who has slept with half the world’s population, which she brags about and consequently makes her unlikable. There are so many things I don’t like about this film and for once, Hugh Grant is the least of them.

The Five-Year Engagement (2012)
This was the worst film I have seen in so long. I’m so disappointed because I adore Emily Blunt. But it was so depressing. It was about a couple, Tom and Violet (Jason Segel and Emily Blunt) who both had opportunities to pursue their dream careers at opposite ends of the country. Tom gives up his career and moves from San Francisco to Boston for his fiancee, but he soon resents her for it. As if that’s not horrible enough, they both cheat on each other and break up. Brilliant. Just what you want to watch before your big day.

Now you know what wedding films not to see, here are the wedding films that you should: Top 10: Best Wedding Films. Don’t forget that Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding is this Saturday (19 May)!

Top 10: Best Wedding Films

As I am in the wedding spirit, I decided to indulge in some wedding films. But which ones are worth watching, and which ones are simply too cringe? As it turns out, most of them aren’t worth watching.

With intentions to watch every wedding film in the movie industry, I unfortunately failed after seeing five wedding film fails in a row. It was torture. So instead of my original idea of writing a wedding film directory, it has now been split into two posts:

Top 10 best wedding films, and Top 5 worst wedding films. (I couldn’t endure watching anymore bad movies, hence the shorter list.)

So here we go, welcome to the land of Jennifer Lopez and Julia Roberts. Here are the wedding movies that I say ‘I do!’ to:

Bridesmaids (2011)
The best wedding film, not to mention best comedy of all time. I can not stop watching this movie. Everything that could go wrong does go wrong in the lead up to Lillian’s (Maya Rudolpf) wedding, mostly at the expense of poor Annie (Kirsten Wiig), Lillian’s best friend. It is absolutely hilarious and a movie you could watch on repeat. Forever.

The Wedding Singer (1998)
One of my favourite comedies of all time with a brilliant soundtrack! Don’t let Adam Sandler put you off either, this is one of his few good films. It’s about a hopeless romantic Robbie (Adam Sandler) who is a wedding singer. But after his bride-to-be ditches him on his wedding day, he falls into a downward spiral. Meanwhile, Julia (Drew Barrymore) is looking for a wedding singer for her upcoming wedding and befriends Robbie in his time of need.

My Best Friend’s Wedding (1997)
This is such a scandalous film actually. Probably a bit underrated. Unlike most rom-coms, the protagonist (Julia Roberts) is the baddie! Trying to break up her best friend’s wedding so that she can confess her love to him. It’s quite an exciting film.

Bride Wars (2009)
Sassy, catty and shrew! Bride Wars is about two best friends (Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson) who are both desperate for the same venue. The claws soon come out and the cracks begin to show in their friendship. It’s an easy watch and I love the vengefulness of the bridezillas.

Wedding Crashers (2005)
While it’s crudely about John (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy (Vince Vaughn) crashing random weddings to get lucky, it’s certainly a very funny film once everyone’s put their boobs away. What begins as just another wedding to find a fling, ends with John developing a genuine crush on Maid of Honour Claire (Rachel McAdams). Meanwhile, Jeremy is trying to convince John to escape the wedding early as Claire’s wildly intense and immature sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) forms a strong attachment to Jeremy.

The Proposal (2009)
The Proposal is about a successful book editor Margaret (Sandra Bullock) is no longer able to work at her job in the USA because she’s Canadian. However, she manipulate her secretary Andrew (Ryan Reynolds) into marrying her so that she can keep her job. However, if Andrew’s going to get married, he’s determined to do it on his terms – she must meet the parents. It’s nice to see a female protagonist in a strong role, but imagine if the gender roles were reversed. Could you imagine the backlash?

The Wedding Planner (2001)
Revenge is served cold. Or in this case, rather sweetly. The Wedding Planner is about J-Lo’s character Mary who finds herself as the wedding planner of the man she’s been dating (Matthew McConaughey). He’s been cheating on her this whole time, but she doesn’t let the bride-to-be know and continues with the wedding plans, taking every opportunity to embarrass the groom-to-be.

27 Dresses (2008)
I’m not totally in love with Katherine Heigl, so I would prefer it if a different actor played her part, but it’s an enjoyable enough film anyway. It’s about always being the bridesmaid and never the bride. It’s a fun and easy watch for sure.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
I refreshed my memory of this film recently, and I have to say that while it is quite funny, I’m not really sure what the storyline even is. There’s no ‘absolute low’, or major conflict that the hero has to bounce back from. It’s quite a dry story, really. But it is funny in a lot of scenes.

Monster in Law (2005)
Monster in Law is about an over-bearing mother in-law who tries to break her son and his fiancee (Jennifer Lopez) up. But the mother in-law is so over theatrical that it’s quite difficult to watch without cringing. J-Lo is an odd choice, but it stars Wanda Sykes so that makes up for it. It’s a tad too Americanny for my taste really, but it’s pretty funny anyway.

Keep an eye-out for the sequel to this post – Top 5 Worst Wedding Films.

Don’t forget that Prince Harry’s and Meghan Markle’s Royal Wedding is this Saturday (19 May)!

Life of the Party

Director: Ben Falcone
Writers: Ben Falcone, Melissa McCarthy and Chris Henchy
Released: May 2018
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Gillian Jacobs, Maya Rudolph, Julie Bowen, Matt Walsh, Molly Gordon, Stephen Root, Jacki Weaver
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I love Melissa McCarthy, but I lowered my expectations after reading a fair few below-average reviews about her new film Life of the Party.

This didn’t deter me though, so my brother-in-law and I went to the cinema. Within ten minutes we were choking on our popcorn during fits of laughter, and getting stitches as we tried to stifle our chortles! Almost every scene was hilarious. By the end of the film, I had mascara streaked down my cheeks and a mild headache from trying not to laugh too loud.

It is by far the funniest film I’ve seen so far this year. (Although, as the only film I’ve seen so far this year is A Quiet Place, Darkest Hour and Split I guess that’s not saying much.)

It’s about a kind and sweet mother called Deanna (Melissa McCarthy), whose husband suddenly tells her he wants a divorce. Within a week, she picked herself up and decided to finish her archeology degree at the same college/university as her daughter, Maddie (Molly Gordon).

Deanna: I’m down to clown.

Life of the Party is co-written and directed by McCarthy’s real-life husband Ben Falcone (AKA Air Marshall John), who tends to have a cameo in her films. (This movie was no exception, so keep an eye out for him.)

It must have been so hard for him to write and direct his wife doing kissing scenes… I watched an interview about it and he said the love scene was shot on their tenth anniversary. But it was okay, he said. They seem so down to earth as a couple! I love them.

Quick fact: McCarthy and Falcone’s fathers feature in the film as the racquetball guys.

What makes this movie great is how wholesome and lovable Deanna is, and how the majority of characters love her too! There’s always a couple of mean girls at uni of course – Jennifer (Debby Ryan) and her side-kick – but Deanna takes them in her stride and has some very cheesy come-backs.

But the real ‘bad-guy’ is her husband’s new wife, Marcie (Julie Bowen, AKA the mum from Modern Family). She does an incredible job of being evil, and the story becomes rather revengeful. Which, is extremely entertaining.

There are a couple of scenes in particular that made me lose control in thick fits of giggles. One of them is the infamous presentation scene where poor Deanna gets so nervous that she sweats profusely. After reaching for tissues to dab her face with, she turns around to reveal her cheeks covered with white fluff where the tissue stuck to her. I lost it.

The other scene to look forward to is the dance-off where Deanna goes to a 1980s themed party and has a dance fight with horrid Jennifer. I died.

And in between these scenes is Maya Rudolph’s character, Christine! Holy Jesus, she was so so funny. She was brilliant! I want a best friend like Christine.

Christine: THAT’S MAH GIRL! THAT’S MAH LADY RIGHT THERE!

With limited swearing and rudeness, Life of the Party is a feel-good film. There are a couple of characters I’d change up, but for the most part you will be grinning in between fits of laugh-out-loud hysterics. You’ll leave the cinema with a page out of Deanna’s book of being super friendly, motherly and kind to everyone.

In fact, I went to Sainsbury’s after this film and I was still channeling Deanna’s positivity. I must have traded my ‘resting bitch face’ for a grin because a lot of people were smiling back at me. Not sure if this was to do with my panda eyes though.

My advice is to ignore the below average reviews, take this sweet film at face value and have a laugh. It’ll make you feel better.

I’m so keen to see this movie again.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Father of the Bride

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Director: Charles Shyer
Writer: Charles Shyer, Nancy Meyers, Frances Goodrich, Albert Hackett
Released: December 1991
Starring: Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams, Martin Short, Kieran Culkin
—

As part of an upcoming post about the ‘top 10 wedding movies’, I realised I had a lot of research to conduct.

I had originally disregarded Father of the Bride, but a few people told me it’s actually worth a watch. It’s based on a film of the same name, which was made in 1950. All in all it’s an enjoyable enough film, but unfortunately it’s also my worst wedding nightmare come to life.

It’s about a father, George Banks (Steve Martin), and his comedic journey of organising a wedding for his daughter Annie (Kimberly Williams). A lot of unfortunate yet funny things happen, particularly when the in-laws meet for the first time and when George has a break down in a supermarket.

[at a supermarket]
George: I’ll tell you what I’m doing. I want to buy eight hot dogs and eight hot dog buns to go with them. But no one sells eight hot dog buns. They only sell twelve hot dog buns. So I end up paying for four buns I don’t need. So I am removing the superfluous buns. Yeah. And you want to know why? Because some big-shot over at the wiener company got together with some big-shot over at the bun company and decided to rip off the American public. Because they think the American public is a bunch of trusting nit-wits who will pay for everything they don’t need rather than make a stink. Well they’re not ripping of this nitwit anymore because I’m not paying for one more thing I don’t need. George Banks is saying NO!
Stock Boy: Who’s George Banks?
George: ME!

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But from the perspective of a soon-to-be bride, Father of the Bride becomes a terrifying movie.

As parents of the bride, George and his wife Nina (Dianne Keaton) pay for the entire wedding, but the cost of 500+ guests threatens debt and money troubles for the modest Banks family.

To George’s relief, his beloved daughter chooses to have the reception at home, which he hopes will save money. But the money saved is promptly spent on an elaborate wedding cake and a flamboyant wedding planner named Franck Eggelhoffer (Martin Short).

(At this point, I wish George would put his foot down but Nina encourages him to keep paying out for everything.)

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I’ve heard the wedding planner is many people’s favourite character because his accent is funny. But I think it’s so over-done, to the point that I could understand even less than the other characters could.

By the time the wedding day comes, the father doesn’t even get to try the food, see the cutting of the cake or the first dance because he is running around like a headless chook keeping everything in order.

Annie took advantage of her dad, and didn’t even say anything on the wedding day when he went missing.

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While the ranting of George and his emotional turmoil is comedic and light-hearted, I found it a bit upsetting. Putting my parents through that much stress is my worst nightmare, and I’m sure many parents and brides would feel the same.

Not only did George lose his daughter, but the final scene shows him and his wife in a large empty home with rubbish and broken glasses littering the carpet.

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Maybe I shouldn’t look so deeply into this family film.

The sequel came out in 1995, but I’m not in a hurry to see it.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Good Morning, Vietnam

Director: Barry Levinson
Writer: Mitch Markowitz
Released: January 1988
Starring: Robin Williams, Forest Whitaker
—

A unique tale about the Vietnam war, seen through the eyes of an extraverted radio presenter, Adrian Cronauer (Robin Williams), who has been hired as a DJ on the Armed Forces radio station in Vietnam.

Adrian: Goooooooood morning Vietnam! It’s 0600 hours. What does the “O” stand for? O my God, it’s early!

Cronauer is an outlandishly hilarious DJ who keeps the troops’ spirits up while serving in Vietnam. While most love him, Lt. Steven Hauk (Bruno Kirby) certainly doesn’t. Hauk’s dry, wooden ‘humour’ (or lack thereof) is hysterical, and he believes he can do a far better job on air. So the rivalry begins.

Lt Steven Hauk: I understand you’re pretty funny as a dee-jay and, well, comedy is kind of a hobby of mine. Well, actually, it’s a little more than just a hobby, Reader’s Digest is considering publishing two of my jokes.
Adrian: Really.
Lt Steven: Yeah. And perhaps some night we could maybe get together and swap humorous stories, for fun.
Adrian: Oh, why not? Maybe play a couple of Tennessee Ernie Ford records, that’d be a hoot.
Lt Steven: That’s a joke, right?
Adrian: Maybe.
Lt Steven: I get it.

It’s based on a real life DJ of the same name, but he explains in an interview (on the DVD extras) that the film is only loosely based on his experiences in Vietnam.

Lt. Steven Hauk: Sir, in my heart, I know I’m funny.

Robin Williams was the only possible choice to play Cronauer. His improv is unlike any other. Apparently there was too much footage to know what to do with once Williams let loose on the microphone! Imagine being the editor of Good Morning, Vietnam, I bet it was all comedy gold! His impersonations are absolutely hilarious!

Adrian as Camp Fashion Consultant: I want to tell you something. You know, this whole camouflage thing, for me, doesn’t work very well.
Adrian: Why is that?
Adrian as Camp Fashion Consultant: Because you go in the jungle, I can’t see you. You know, it’s like wearing stripes and plaid. For me, I want to do something different. You know, you go in the jungle, make a statement. If you’re going to fight, clash. You know what I mean?

Cronauer soon ventures outside of the station and into Vietnam, and that’s when we see the destruction of war. The contrast is shocking and it takes a toll on Cronauer as he can’t believe the amount of things the station isn’t reporting. The news is filtered and censored.

Adrian: RIGHT! In… in Saigon today, according to official sources, nothing actually happened. One thing that didn’t officially happen was a bomb didn’t officially explode at 1430 hours, unofficially destroying Jimmy Wah’s cafe.

The film is a constant blend of comedy and melancholy. About making the best of a bad situation, and keeping perspective. The sadness of the Vietnam war is tangible in this film, but so is the light at the end of the tunnel, which is Cronauer.

Despite a few parts that lag, Good Morning, Vietnam is a brilliant film. I’d say it has a great script but it’s actually Williams’ improv that takes the cake. It wouldn’t be a memorable film if it wasn’t for his talent as a performer. It’s so impressive.

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Peggy Sue Got Married

Continue reading “Peggy Sue Got Married”

Wedding Crashers

Director: David Dobkin
Writers: Steve Faber and Bob Fisher
Released: July 2005
Starring: Owen Wilson, Vince Vaughn, Christopher Walken, Rachel McAdams, Isla Fisher, Bradley Cooper, Jane Seymour
—

While it’s crudely about John Beckwith (Owen Wilson) and Jeremy Grey (Vince Vaughn) crashing random weddings to get lucky, it’s certainly a very funny film once everyone’s put their boobs away.

What begins as just another wedding to find a fling, ends with John developing a genuine crush on Maid of Honour Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams). However, Jeremy is trying to convince John to escape the wedding early as Claire’s wildly intense and immature sister Gloria (Isla Fisher) forms a strong attachment to Jeremy.

While there is a lot of swearing, there is also a ton of very funny one-liners.

At the end of the wedding, Gloria demands that Jeremy come to her family’s summer home for the weekend. While John jumps at the chance with the hopes of getting to know Claire better, Jeremy finds himself trapped by the scary nutcase that is Gloria.

From here, I thoroughly enjoy the Claire/John half of the story, and not so much the Jeremy/Gloria storyline. Purely because I like a plain old love triangle, and am not such a fan of the crude humour that is typically associated with Vince Vaughn.

Owen Wilson plays the classic ‘good guy’ character as usual, which I adore! He goes out of his way to sabotage Claire’s cheating boyfriend to keep him out of the picture for as long as possible.

[Playing football]
John: Oh, *you’re* gonna cover me.
Claire: Like white on rice.
John: All right I like my odds here. Let me give you a little warning, I’m going downtown.
Look for me in the endzone after this play, I’ll be the guy holding the ball.

John’s love interest is Claire who is played by Rachel McAdams, who conveniently happens to be my love interest because she is so upsettingly pretty. How does she do it? I don’t know whether to be pleased or angry when she’s on screen because I’m so jealous of her beauty. I could cry it’s so unfair.

Anyway. Be that is it may.

Vince Vaughn’s character experiences some pretty freaky situations with the Cleary family, which leaves you cringing but ultimately in fits of giggles. Isla Fisher’s character is really scary. She’s everyone’s worst nightmare of an ex.

Gloria: Jeremy, you’re amazing!
Jeremy: I think you’re amazing…
Gloria: Don’t *ever* leave me.
Jeremy: Ever.
Gloria [in sing-song voice]: Good… Because I’d find you!

Nevertheless, it is very funny watching Jeremy and John keep up their aliases in front of Claire, Gloria and their posh but highly inappropriate family.

It’s cheap and dirty, but with an unexpectedly wholesome storyline in parts. Ultimately, it’s an entertaining summer comedy!

Jodie’s rating: 6.5/10

Groundhog Day

Director: Harold Ramis
Writer: Harold Ramis, Danny Rubin
Released: February 1993
Starring: Bill Murray, Andie MacDowell, Chris Elliott
—

Groundhog Day is one of my favourite comedies by a long shot.

Bill Murray is perfect for the role of sarcastic weather man Phil Connors who finds himself reliving the same day over and over again.

Radio DJs: Okay, campers, rise and shine, and don’t forget your booties ’cause it’s cooooold out there today. It’s coooold out there every day.

It’s not his favourite day to relive, in fact it’s one of his least favourite days of the year. Groundhog Day is a popular tradition in USA and Canada whereby a groundhog is pulled out of a hutch in front of crowds of people and ‘predicts’ when the first day of Spring will be.

Phil Connors’ day is reset every morning to relive Groundhog Day repeatedly, so after a few days of confusion, he throws himself into doing exactly what he’s always wanted to do knowing tomorrow will never come. This film lives out our fantasy of living a life without consequences.

Phil: Do you ever have déjà vu, Mrs. Lancaster?
Mrs. Lancaster: I don’t think so, but I could check with the kitchen.

He drinks, he flirts, he lies, he eats only doughnuts and even learns piano. After getting bored, he begins to wonder how to escape this loop.

Piano Teacher: Not bad… Mr. Connors, you say this is your first lesson?
Phil: Yes, but my father was a piano *mover*, so…

He soon stoops to an absolute low of depression through this entrapment in a small town in a blizzard on corny Groundhog Day. So Connors kills himself. Again. And again. But he still wakes up unharmed the next morning. He concludes he’s an invincible God.

Bill Murray was the perfect choice, because his glum, dark humour is perfect for the brutish and egotistical, but hilarious, Phil Connors.

Phil: I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster, drank piña coladas. At sunset, we made love like sea otters. *That* was a pretty good day. Why couldn’t I get *that* day over, and over, and over…

The script, if I remember correctly, was massively controversial before they began filming. Because who would really want to watch a character go through the same day over and over again? While the first few scenes are boring for me to watch now that I’ve seen the film about 103 times, luckily they went ahead with the film because the first watch will be sure to make you chuckle.

If you’re not laughing at Connors’ comments and insults, you’ll be laughing out of sheer frustration for the character.

This comedy soon turns into a philosophical drama/romance, which actually makes you contemplate a little about what you’d really want to do with your life. Treating every day as though it’s your last, or even worse, as though today is going to repeat for eternity. That’s a scary thought.

Phil: Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.

Groundhog Day is a classic, and is frequently referred to in films and in every day conversation to describe a monotonous and uneventful day.

It’s easy to watch, is family-friendly (for the most part), and a little less shallow than the average comedy.

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

Serendipity

Director: Peter Chelsom
Writer: Marc Klein
Released: October 2001
Starring: John Cusack, Kate Beckinsale
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Sara: [Serendipity is] such a nice sounding word for what it means: a fortunate accident.

This is our Christmas film because it’s set at Christmas time in snowy New York – so magical!

It’s a fantasy romance film about fate, and whether you should act on impulse or allow life to take the wheel. When Sara (Kate Beckinsale) and Jonathan (John Cusack) meet on Christmas Eve by chance, Jonathan falls in love with her straight away, but Sara believes they must leave it to fate.

If they are meant to be together, then fate will bring them back together. So, Sara leaves after a beautiful night together in hopes of seeing him again.

Ten years on, fate couldn’t have directed them further apart. But, they can’t stop thinking about each other despite not having been in touch since that one magical night. They go about trying to find each other again, and a comedic adventure ensues!

It’s an easy-to-watch romance with a ‘too good to be true’ magical storyline. Which, I am in no way complaining about. I love magical romances.

John Cusack has a brilliant comedic energy about him, and Kate Beckinsale has a wonderful elegance to her without being too ‘perfect’.

I love how both characters have philosophical sidekicks (Jonathan’s friend Dean (Jeremy Piven) and Sara’s friend Eve (Molly Shannon)) to put their ridiculous missions into perspective.

Eve: And if you’re smart enough, you learn from your mistakes. You figure it out. You… you think. You realize that life isn’t some elaborate stage play with directions for the actors. Life’s a mess, Sara. It’s… it’s chaos personified.

I love the deep and meaningful nature of this film. The underlying tone is one of strength and empowerment to do what you want, and to get what you want.

Eve: You see, that is what happens when people get hooked on the new-age life. They end up sitting at home burning candles for mister right, when mister good-enough-for-right-now is waiting at the corner bar!

You’ll walk away feeling nothing but happiness with a new-found faith in love, and a new-found sense of power over your life.

Dean: You know the Greeks didn’t write obituaries. They only asked one question after a man died: “Did he have passion?”.

It’s one of my favourite rom-coms, even though you need a decent amount of suspension of disbelief! The only thing missing was an inspirational soundtrack, I think.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Everybody’s Fine

Director: Kirk Jones
Writer: Kirk Jones
Released: December 2009
Starring: Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell
—

“Frank’s travelling light but carrying excess baggage”

It’s a film I’d never heard of, but bought at a second hand shop on a whim because it featured Robert DeNiro.

It’s advertised as a drama and marketed around Christmas time because of the family themes in the story. However, I think it would have brought a dark cloud over the holidays if you were to watch this film during December! The marketing is incredibly misleading:

It’s not funny. It’s not happy. It’s not carefree.

Everybody’s Fine is a remake of an Italian film of the same name. It’s about recently widowed Frank Goode (Robert DeNiro) who organises a family reunion, but all of his adult children cancel on him. So, he packs a small suitcase and sets off on a journey to visit each one unannounced.

Hoping to be a part of their wonderfully successful lives, he quickly finds that his children aren’t doing as well as they say they are. They have been separated from each other by geographical and emotional distance, and are all experiencing hard times one way or another.

It’s a hard-hitting and overall sad journey, certainly not an uplifting festive film. It’s about family drifting apart, and protecting each other with secrets. It’s upsetting seeing DeNiro’s character’s disappointment and helplessness.

I think if all the pain and upset led to a more cheerful conclusion, or if there was more relief, then it would have been worth while. But unfortunately this story of broken families and damaged people is far too common, and it comes across as more of a disastrous series of events, which will probably hit a little too close to home for many.

I planned on donating this film back to the second hand shop, but it’s still on my desk at work. I didn’t realise how much the storyline got me – it’ll give you a lump in your throat for sure. But ultimately, it’s a film that will bring you down to earth and take the spring out of your step for a while.

So, I’ll probably never watch it again if I’m honest. Kind of like the movie Seven Pounds. It’s a powerful, but hopelessly depressing one-time watch.

If anything, the film portrays the emotional journey of Frank very well. But despite having comedic/light-hearted actors cast (Robert DeNiro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell…), it’s not a funny film. I think it was supposed to be a ‘Christmas dramaedy’, but it definitely missed the mark.

Not terrible, but also not something you’d want to gift to anyone.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

A Quiet Place

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Director: John Krasinski
Writer: Bryan Woods, Scott Beck
Released: April 2018
Starring: Emily Blunt, John Krasinski
—

I was expecting a lot from this movie because I had heard and read incredible reviews.

Without reading up about what the film was about – as I correctly thought this may giveaway too much about this thriller – I went in with optimism and excitement. I was about to be thrilled by my favourite actress, Emily Blunt.

It’s about a family who is living in the year 2020 among blind alien beings who hunt using only sound. Therefore, everyone must be silent if they are to survive. This dystopian future was brilliantly thought-out as the way of life changes significantly, from not eating with noisy knives and forks, to walking barefooted on sand rather than stones.

A Quiet Place sets the story up quickly, explains the world and what is at stake within the first 15 minutes or so. Despite the silence of the beginning, your attention is held fast. The story grows in suspense quickly, accelerated by the fact that you don’t actually see the monsters in the flesh until a lot later. They only show extreme close-ups and flashes of them in the distance. Classic The Blair Witch Project technique, whereby your imagination makes it a lot scarier than it is.

I’m struggling to say much more without giving the game away because the trailer gives away next to nothing – and rightly so! Because the less you know about this movie, the better it is.

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What I loved about this film is that it is unlike anything I have ever seen before. If I had to choose a likeness, I’d probably say War of the Worlds is the closest because of the alien invasion story line with a family in the centre of it.

However, A Quite Place focused heavily on the unspoken – for obvious reasons. This meant that the emotional tension was very high because the rocky relationships between some of the family members was amplified by the silence.

It is a genius concept that was so well thought-through and executed.

The actors did particularly well with not over-acting, which would have been easy to do as they had very little dialogue to rely on, compounded by them using sign language in the film. They were essentially in a silent movie and would have had to go back to basics.

I was thinking who else could have played Emily Blunt’s role and I couldn’t think of anyone who could have done better. The character was strong, warm, modest, maternal and brave. So I understand why Blunt’s action and romance background would have been appealing.

Of course, the real reason she was chosen is because her husband in real life, John Krasinski (from US series The Office), played her character’s husband in the movie (he looks an awful lot like Shia LeBeouff with that beard). He also directed and co-wrote the film. Nevertheless, I don’t think there was anyone who could have played the role better.

Their children in the movie were brilliant. The daughter is deaf, and the actor who played her is deaf in real life. She didn’t look much like either of the parents in the movie, but I can see why they cast her anyway. She was faultless.

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While this movie is certainly a horror/thriller, its dramatic story line is extremely emotional indeed. I was sobbing all the way through it. There is so much at stake and this family love each other so much – they won’t let anything happen to each other. But in this dangerous environment not everything is within their control.

From a ponsy scholarly point-of-view this movie will be dissected and studied in film school for years to come. They used sound, or more appropriately the lack-of sound, really well. Particularly the shots from the point-of-view of their deaf daughter where the sound is muted completely.

However, from an average audience member’s point-of-view, this film is Blu-Ray-worthy and a brilliant watch… Until the final scene.

Up until the final scene, this movie was a strong 9/10. Only losing marks due to a couple of disagreements I personally had with the story line, and a couple of pointless scary moments that were included just to make you jump. While I expected that from cheap and dirty Hollywood horrors, I didn’t expect it from A Quiet Place. Having said that, it only happened once or twice.

So yes, the ending. The ending didn’t conclude as I expected, nor did it wrap up the family’s problems satisfactorily. This 90-minute film needed an extra 10 minutes to show what we all assume happened. (I’m struggling not to give too much away here.) Therefore, A Quiet Place is a strong 8/10.

I highly recommend watching it, even if you’re not a horror fan. Yes, it is certainly scary, but more than anything, it is full of hope and strength and an emotional family bond. You will cry more through admiration and sadness than you will from being terrified.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

About Time

Director: Richard Curtis
Writer: Richard Curtis
Released: June 2013
Starring: Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams, Bill Nighy, Tom Hollander, Margot Robbie
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From the brain behind The Boat that Rocked, Notting Hill, Love Actually and Bridget Jones comes a warm and fuzzy, all-nice, all-good, hot chocolate and cuddles on a rainy day kind of story. It’s called About Time. (If you loved Driving Lessons, I think you’d enjoy this film.)

I love coming-of-age films, there’s nothing better than seeing bog-standard, everyday man-on-the-street kind of characters on the tellie accomplishing the extraordinary and telling you that everything will be alright in the end.

About Time is one of the best feel-good comedy/dramas out there, partly because it’s to do with time travel. It’s about an innocent and quiet boy called Tim Lake (Domhnall Gleeson) who at the humble age of 21 is told by his father (Bill Nighy) that, like every man in his family, he can travel back in time.

While his grandfathers before him used time travel to make more money, and his father went back to read as many books as he could, Tim decides to use time travel to improve his love life. He soon begins to learn some harsh lessons.

Tim: Lesson Number One: All the time traveling in the world can’t make someone love you.

After a few of life’s trip-ups, a twist of fate and a lot of laughs, Tim finds Mary (Rachel McAdams) and goes about to win her heart. But that’s not the end of the adventure, as life intervenes and reminds Tim that he may be able to time travel, but he’s still going to experience hard times.

Tim: There’s a song by Baz Luhrmann called Sunscreen. He says worrying about the future is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life will always be things that never crossed your worried mind.

To match the emotion and tone of this film is a fantastic soundtrack, including Nick Cave’s Into My Arms and At the River by Groove Armada. It’s a great soundtrack, which supports Tim’s emotional journey throughout the backdrops of London and Cornwall.

I would watch anything Bill Nighy is in, and Domhnall Gleeson is pretty cool too. But I adore Rachel McAdams, I’m so pleased she was cast. Although she is so annoyingly beautiful, which they didn’t do a good job of hiding! I don’t think the bookworm character of Mary was supposed to be quite so attractive…

Mum: Mary! Good Lord, you’re pretty.
Mary: Oh, no. It’s just… I’ve got a lot of mascara and lipstick on.
Mum: Let’s have a look… Oh, yes. Good. It’s very bad for a girl to be too pretty. It stops her developing a sense of humor. Or a personality.

I love how, despite Tim’s efforts, things still don’t work out perfectly every time. Because life always interferes – just like with everyone else. It rains on the wedding, family members get hurt, people die, and things don’t always happen in an ideal order. In fact, life or fate is a character of its own in this film.

About Time is full of solid advice, the ‘what-ifs’ explained, and the strength of family. You will laugh, you will cry, and you’ll want to hug your favourite people a little harder.

Tim: And in the end I think I’ve learned the final lesson from my travels in time… I now don’t travel back at all, not even for the day. I just try to live every day as if I’ve deliberately come back to this one day, to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary, ordinary life.

It’s a beautiful script and despite its slow pace, was executed into a film brilliantly. It’s one of my favourite films and perfect for a family movie night. But you will cry. So, you’ve be warned.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman
Writer: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Based on All You Need is Kill by Hiroshi Sakurazaka)
Released: June 2014
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson
—

Having recently reviewed Source Code – a sci-fi film starring Jake Gyllenhaal – I realised how similar that film’s concept is to Edge of Tomorrow. It was then that I realised that I have never reviewed Edge of Tomorrow! So here it is.

Disclaimer: The following plot you’re about to read may well put some people off of the movie because of the mention of ‘alien invasions’, ‘time travel’ and ‘war’. But the storyline is so gripping, that even the sci-fi and action film haters will enjoy watching the movie. (I promise!)

Major William Cage (Tom Cruise) is sent to the front lines of war despite his lack of training. As soon as the troop land on the beach* (resembling Normandy), Cage is attacked by the opposition – the aliens. The alien’s blood causes Cage to have the ability to restart the day again and again.

He tries to tell authorities that landing on the beach is a suicide mission, but no one believes him until he meets Sergeant Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt). She had the exact same thing happen to her, and they work together in a long Groundhog Day-like sequence to figure out how to win the war.

Rita: You don’t talk to anyone about this but me. The best-case scenario is you’re gonna end up in a psych ward. Worst case, you’ll get dissected for study. Are we clear?

I love Emily Blunt. Did you know she was pregnant during some of this film? Gosh. She’s so perfect, and great in this film. Have I mentioned that on at least two occasions people have said I look similar to Emily Blunt?

I was told that if I didn’t have crooked teeth or many of my current facial features, that I would look JUST like EMILY BLUNT! 🤪 *so proud* pic.twitter.com/VVF3u5Vy0T

— Jodie (@NZFilmFreak) 28 July 2017

One of very few drawbacks to this film is how Emily Blunt’s character has permanently perfect make-up and hair. A pet peeve of mine that I explain in this post here.

With a little sprinkling of comedy throughout the script, this action/sci-fi film is a fantastically entertaining watch. You’re on the ‘edge’ of your seat the entire time. Every time Cage dies – and he dies a lot and in all sorts of ways – you relive the day over with him, trying to figure out how to save the day.

While it does sound repetitive, the film develops quickly keeping you on board.

The problem with futuristic stories is of course the confusion and the problem of the audience’s suspense of disbelief, but information is drip-fed constantly to explain everything in a natural way.

Edge of Tomorrow has a somewhat complex concept, which makes a change to the boring combat-heavy action films where everyone’s shooting but no one gets killed. (In this film, everyone gets killed. A lot.) But it is a great watch for family movie nights for sure.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

*Um, I’d just like to say as a side note that I have visited the beach that they filmed some scenes for this movie. It’s Saunton Sands in Devon. I’m basically Emily Blunt, I know.

Source Code

Director: Duncan Jones
Writer: Ben Ripley
Released: April 2011
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright
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I love time travel films! This is a brilliantly simple story combined with the mind-bending possibilities of time travel.

‘Source Code’ is a top-secret military experimental operation where injured pilot Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) is given the ability to repeatedly relive the final eight minutes of a man’s life. The man is Sean Fentress who dies in an explosion on a train.

Each time Stevens relives the final eight minutes of this man’s life, he is given the opportunity to seek out the person responsible for planting the bomb on the train in an attempt to stop it from ever happening.

But, time travel being the way it is, can he really stop it happening? Or will he only stop it happening in that alternate version of life.

(Watch Back to the Future if you need an explanation on this theory.)

The story line reminds me of the Tom Cruise film Edge of Tomorrow, where he is able to relive the same day over and over until he figures out the solution. Except, Source Code is a intelligently simple film (in other words, clearly had a far tighter budget). At it’s core, it’s basically three location and four characters. So smart! Maybe it could be developed into a stage play.

It’s intense and brilliantly written. I looked it up, apparently the guy who wrote it really struggled to get his script to see the light of day. The director hadn’t had much experience either, while the cast is star-studded.

Source Code is an easy-watch, and despite its action/sci-fi themes, is actually quite an emotional film where the main character contemplates death and family a lot.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Hot Fuzz

Director: Edgar Wright
Writer: Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg
Released: July 2007
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent
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A brilliant action-comedy from writers Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg. It’s one of my favourite films, and I can’t believe I’d never gotten around to review it.

Hot Fuzz is the second instalment of what is referred to as the ‘Cornetto trilogy’ by Edgar Wright fans (due to the ice cream’s frequent appearances). Shaun of the Dead being the first, The World’s End being the third.

This is my favourite film of the three because it is so cleverly written and very funny. It follows the story of goody-two-shoes London policeman (rather “police officer. Being a man has nothing to do with it.”) named Nicholas Angel (Simon Pegg) who gets transferred to a small, rural village against his wishes.

Sergeant: …we’re making you sergeant.
Nicholas: I see.
Sergeant: [mumbles]
Nicholas: In where, sorry?
Sergeant: In Sandford, Gloucestershire.
Nicholas: But that’s in the country…
Sergeant: Yes! Lovely!

The straight-laced Sergeant Angel is frustrated by the Sandford police who prefer to turn the other cheek rather than causing a fuss when someone breaks the law. He soon discovers there is a reason for this.

So, with amateur officer Danny Butterman (Nick Frost) as his sidekick, Angel’s love for the law is put into full swing as they begin a full-on investigation into what is going on in the village.

Inspired by stereotypical action films, the writers have made fun of the genre by including all the sorts of characters you’d usually see in an action film. They even go as far as re-enacting popular action movie scenes, or quoting them. They’ve studied the genre very well!

Danny: Where’s the trolley boy?
Nicholas: In the freezer.
Danny: Did you say “cool off?”
Nicholas: No I didn’t say anything…
Danny: Shame.
Nicholas: Well, there was the bit that you missed where I distracted him with the cuddly monkey then I said “play time’s over” and I hit him in the head with the peace lily.
Danny: You’re off the fuckin’ chain!

This entertaining and fast-paced film is littered with hilarious one-liners and nods to action film tropes and quotes. The script for this movie is so clever – it must have taken ages to work out how it was all going to piece together.

The script has a lot of fore-shadowing all through it, weaved through an intriguing mystery of murders and outrageous characters. My favourite being two officers, both named Andrew – AKA ‘The Andes’ played by Paddy Considine and Rafe Spall.

The editing is incredible, which is classic Edgar Wright. We studied his work for an entire year at high school; I can see his influence a mile off now, even in his most recent film, Baby Driver.

If you love gun fights, car chases and a good belly laugh, then this is the perfect film! A classic date night movie too, I think. Just like Shaun of the Dead and The World’s End, it’s a great blend of genres to keep everyone happy.

For me, some of the action scenes were a bit long-winded, and just when you think the film is finished, it doesn’t. But maybe that’s because I don’t actually like action films all that much.

Danny: Have you ever fired two guns whilst jumping through the air?
Nicholas: No.
Danny: Have you ever fired one gun whilst jumping through the air?
Nicholas: No.
Danny: Ever been in a high-speed pursuit?
Nicholas: Yes, I have.
Danny: Have you ever fired a gun whilst in a high speed pursuit?
Nicholas: No!

I love films that make fun of themselves, and this is the king of them all. I can recite the whole film, I think – I’ve watched it so many times!

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Dark Places

dark places

Director: Gilles Paquet-Brenner
Writer: Gilles Paquet-Brenner (Based on Dark Places by Gillian Flynn)
Released: August 2015
Starring: Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult and Chloë Grace Moretz
—

Why do I do this to myself? I read the book, then watch the movie. Of course I’m going to be disappointed.

As per the Gillian Flynn book of the same name, this is a story about a seven-year-old girl, Libby Day, who witnessed the massacre of her family. She testifies against her 15-year-old brother, who gets jail for life.

Libby is still emotionally scarred by the murders 25 years on, and is struggling with depression, to pay bills, to even get out of bed in the mornings. When one day, some random (Nicholas Hoult) gets in touch to explain there is growing belief that her brother is innocent.

With the motivation of getting a bit of desperately-needed cash by speaking to this man, she begins to question what happened that day. Did she really see her brother killing her family?

Basically, what was a layered and intriguing mystery in the book, becomes a simplified one-watch film. It’s really nothing special. It’s just a good-looking woman skulking about, and figuring out the mystery with very little effort.

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Beyond this basic storyline, is my annoyance at the casting of Libby Day. Libby is a big-breasted, short, red-haired woman with a temper. She is not a tall, athletic, beautiful pixie-haired woman… In other words, Charlize Theron should not have been the main character. But she produced it, so she cast herself despite the obvious physical differences. She don’t care. #richpeoplelife

It’s just so annoying! The integrity of the story is weakened by this obvious disregard for the main character. Then again, have you ever heard of an average-looking Hollywood actor getting a main part in a movie? I guess there’s a bigger force at play here.

I was able to watch Dark Places while simultaneously doing multiple other things and still felt like I experienced what little impact there was to experience.

Overall, it’s an easy-watch (even though it’s not supposed to be).

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Big Little Lies (TV series)

big little lies.jpg

Director: Jean-Marc Vallée (He directed Wild)
Writer: David E. Kelley (Based on novel by Liane Moriarty)
Released: February 2017
Starring: Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Alexander Skarsgård, Adam Scott, Zoë Kravitz, James Tupper, Jeffrey Nordling and Laura Dern
—

I was expecting ‘Desperate Housewives‘, chick-flick kind of show on steroids… But Big Little Lies was so much darker than that.

It begins with a murder. We don’t know who died, and we don’t know who did it.

Big Little Lies follows the backstory leading up to the murder, and all the secrets and shocking circumstances leads you to believe that everyone is a suspect, and everyone is a victim.

It’s sort of like reality tv series The Real Housewives but as a thriller. It’s shocking, scary, haunting and mysterious, featuring beautiful (and seemingly flawless) characters against the fashionable backdrop of Monterey, California.

It is all about the characters:

Reese Witherspoon is the stand-out performance for me; she’s fascinating to watch. Her character, Madeline, is also my favourite. Actually, her character reminds me of Tamra from The Real Housewives of Orange County – both in terms of looks and storyline. Overall, Madeline will make you laugh, and you’d want her to be your best friend. big little lies 2

Laura Dern takes a step away from her sweat-pant-wearing motherly roles, and into the role of a posh and wealthy, but pushy ‘bulldog’, CEO called Renata. She reminds me of Vicki in The Real Housewives of Orange County.
big little lies 3

Nicole Kidman’s role as Celeste is the scariest and most difficult storyline to watch. In fact, I wanted to turn the show off a couple of times because of the horrific scenes depicting her abusive husband. Nevertheless, she does well despite her American accent slipping a bit at times – as it always does. There’s an online debate regarding whether her hair is a wig or not… What do you reckon?
big little lies 5

To bring it all down to earth, Shailene Woodley plays the role of Jane. Jane is a little bit in awe of the glamorous people, and cherishes the kindness of Madeline while she makes a new start here in California. She isn’t as wealthy or as fancy, but does have one of the most anxiety-driven storylines.
big little lies 4

Then, there’s the husbands, who go to show not all the drama comes from the women!

My favourite thing about Big Little Lies, however, is the soundtrack. Oh my goodness. I could listen to the soundtrack on repeat! Brilliant.

Overall, this was a much darker thriller than I expected, but for the sake of watching Reese Witherspoon’s character again, I will certainly watch series two!

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

According to Nicole’s Instagram, series two is being filmed and Meryl Streep is in it! Aaaaaahh!

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Murder on the Orient Express

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Writer: Based on Agatha Christie’s novel. Screenplay by Michael Green
Released: November 2017
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Penélope Cruz, Willem Dafoe, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Josh Gad, Derek Jacobi, Leslie Odom Jr., Michelle Pfeiffer and Daisy Ridley
—

‘Um. No.’ – My review in brief of both the film and book.

I read the book then immediately watched the film, but ultimately they were both disappointing. (The film, more so.)

I am a huge Agatha Christie fan and have read a fair few of her books, but despite its fame, Murder on the Orient Express is by far the biggest disappointment – mostly due to the ending.

CHARACTERS
Basically, in regards to the film, there are far too many characters to keep track of and far too many details to ponder for it to be an enjoyable murder mystery film. Whereas in the book, it is an intriguing and baffling mystery – because you have time to think about everything and consider all the possibilities before the conclusion.

In addition to this, I’d like to add that there are many big names in this film, who seemed to have been cast despite their obvious lack of similarity to the characters in the book.

For example, Mrs Hubbard is described as a plump, humorous, brash, loud and excitable woman, but also motherly and thinks highly of her daughter. Quite clearly, I imagined Kathy Bates would play the role (with her performance of Molly Brown in Titanic in mind), who is the opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer who played Mrs Hubbard in the film as a flirtatious cougar:

Several characters that are included in the book are excluded in the film, or are merged into one character, which became somewhat confusing and disappointing. I was quite attached to the sobbing, ‘sheep-faced’ Greta Ohlsson, who was totally removed from the film.

“She’s like a sheep, you know. She gets anxious and bleats.”

The detective, Hercule Poirot, gets things wrong in the film and accuses people too early. He comes across as a bit of an amateur, which is absolutely not accurate. Totally unlike the calm, level-headed, particular Hercule Poirot who knows the answers long before he says so.

DIALOGUE
In the film, there is a few action scenes that echo Sherlock Holmes. I felt this was jarring and unnecessary (and are not in the book, I might add!).

I was disappointed by this tone of the film because I was expecting a The King’s Speech kind of feel. Where the dialogue becomes a character of its own, where it is so captivating that you find yourself totally lost in what the character is saying – looking for clues in the way they choose their words. Where the dialogue is isolated by extreme close-ups and static camerawork during dry, but captivating monologues.

It’s a shame really! I can see so clearly what I would change about this movie. There is so much important dialogue, but its treated as a nuisance that is rushed through and forgotten about and interjected with pointless action scenes.

ENDING
The ending was the biggest let-down – in terms of the book and film. Without giving it away completely, I will say that if ‘…and he woke up and it was all a dream‘ is the worst ending to a story ever, then the ending to Murder on the Orient Express is the second to worst ending ever. It was a massive deflation after a long, climactic, uphill hike.

In regards to the film, it was more than just the ending that was disappointing. It was the film in its entirety. Basically, there are around 15 main characters in this story, and all of them need to be given almost equal attention as they are all suspects and they all need to be interviewed.

So, as you can imagine, this means there is a lot of detail that needs to be told to the audience in a very short amount of time!

I don’t mean to do the cliche thing of saying ‘it was not as good as the book’, because although this is true, I think Murder on the Orient Express is a story that is simply unsuitable for the screen. It just doesn’t work – there’s too much information that needs to be conveyed.

Basically, if you haven’t read the book, you’re probably going to be quite lost in the film because they skim over the dialogue – which is all disguised in heavy accents anyway. So even if you do catch some important detail, you probably won’t be able to decipher the meaning of it anyway.

MY CONCLUSION
Overall, not Agatha Christie’s best ending, and not an enjoyable film. Too confusing and without the ‘gasps’ and intrigue of the book. Perhaps if Kenneth Branagh picked between playing the main character or the director, instead of doing both, then perhaps more time would have been spent on the script.

I know no one intends to make a bad film… But y’all made a bad film.

Jodie’s rating: 3/10

Denial

Denial film review

Director: Mick Jackson
Writer: David Hare
Released: September 2016
Starring: Timothy Spall, Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Andrew Scott and Jack Lowden
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A shocking account of David Irving (Timothy Spall), a Holocaust denier, who takes Deborah Lipstadt (Rachel Weisz) to court for speaking out against him. At its very core, its about free speech, and the abuse of it.

Richard Rampton (Tom Wilkinson): This case is happening to you, but it’s not about you.

While I knew there was a theory of the Holocaust never having happened, I wasn’t actually aware there was a specific Holocaust denier, and court case about it.

As I mentioned in my reviews of The Darkest Hour and The Founder, Denial is another good film-alternative to watching a documentary on the issue.

Denial film review

I did find the film interesting. I enjoyed finding out about the theories and what happened. While it seems rather obvious that sadly, the Holocaust did certainly occur, going about proving this 50+ years after the fact in a court of law proved difficult. The Germans ensured that much of the evidence was destroyed just before the end of the war.

Richard Rampton: We know what it is, it’s how we prove what it is.

I also didn’t realise how different the justice systems are between USA and UK. Irving took Lipstadt to court in the UK because Lipstadt would have to prove why Irving is wrong in order to be found innocent. Whereas in USA, Lipstadt would have been innocent unless proven otherwise by Irving.

Deborah Lipstadt: In the US there is the presumption of innocence.
Anothony Julius: Yeah. Not in the UK.

I was expecting it to be a gripping court drama, like A Few Good Men, where the outcome depends on what questions are asked and how they are answered, with loopholes and twists and gasps. I thought Lipstadt’s lawyers would trip Irving up and drill him on his theories.

Denial film reivew

Unfortunately this is only shown in a couple of scenes. In between, it’s mostly showing Lipstadt – a very loud American from Queens, being overbearing and shouting at her lawyers, telling them what they should and shouldn’t do. Despite her being an intelligent and well-read writer, these scenes portrayed her as a headless chook in a state of panic.

Either way, this isn’t where I wanted the conflict to be. The conflict should be in the courtroom with Irving.

Deborah Lipstadt: Freedom of speech means you can say whatever you want. What you can’t do is lie and expect not to be held accountable… Slavery happened, the Black Death happened. The Earth is round, the ice caps are melting and Elvis is not alive.

Timothy Spall did a good job, as always. Although, he wasn’t as much of a prominent character as I think he should have been. (I wonder how Spall felt about taking this role of a very controversial man, about such a sensitive subject.)

Overall, it is an important story that I am so pleased has been told, but it had the potential to be told with more punch and gall and courtroom-based drama. Sadly, the movie didn’t stay in the courtroom, where I think it should have stayed. The movie was watered down and dragged out because of this.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10