movie – Page 3 – NZ Film Freak

The Help

Director: Tate Taylor
Writer: Tate Taylor (screenplay), Kathryn Stockett (novel)
Released: August 2011
Starring: Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard
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The first thing that attracted me to this DVD was, quite shallowly, the dresses that the characters were wearing on the cover. This was a story based in the sixties, also, it has Emma Stone in it.

So I decided to [wait until the price came down and] buy it.

In the back of my mind I was expecting it to be either over-emotional and depressing such as the film Precious (which I still haven’t brought myself to watch). Or, I was expecting it to be a little too cheesy… But I was gladly wrong.

This is a story about a strong-willed and moral young woman named Skeeter (Emma Stone) who interviewed African-American maids in Jackson, Mississippi despite it being very dangerous and very much against the law.

With many struggles and an immense amount of courage from all involved, she wrote a book anonymously based upon the accounts of the Help who serve white families for little money and humiliating conditions.

Although I am not overly well-versed in American Civil Rights history, it is not hard to feel sympathetic and emotionally moved by the stories of the Help, or incredible remorse for the way that many of the white population viewed African-American people.

Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard) plays the ‘villain’. It’s easier to pity her more than despise her, and she is still accessible enough to guess why she acts the way she does.

bryce-dallas-howard-as-hilly-holbrook-in

Skeeter was the most inspirational character of course. Maybe because she is about my age. But I also find her an inspirational character because she refuses to fit into society.

She doesn’t just want to get married, live in a house in the suburbs or pay a maid to raise her children. Instead, she wanted to change the world around her for the better. Skeeter graduated as a journalist and bravely took on a huge project for the greater good, giving the ignored maids a voice.

Minny and Celia

Minny (right) and her new employer, Celia (Jessica Chastain) is a happy go-lucky woman who is impossible to dislike. She is excluded from the white community, probably because of her acceptance of everybody – no matter the colour – and finds friendship in her new maid, Minny Jackson.

I am reluctant to give too much credit to the author that this film was based on, Kathryn Stockett, because I’m not incredibly sure she was completely honest and pure in her intentions (my theory based upon a few interviews I have seen her in).

There was a lawsuit filed against her by Aibileen, the author’s brother’s maid, saying that Stockett had stolen her life story without her knowledge. Although Stockett was found innocent, it did take the honour out of the story a bit.

The novel is in fact fiction, with bits and pieces drawn from Stockett’s life experiences as a white child growing up in the South with a family maid. But, it is essentially a story that is worth being told to remind us of how it was, with themes of friendship, adversity, desperation and success.

This film is a people film. It follows characters who have flaws and struggles, triumphs and strength. It follows the lives of various people and from their points of view which reminds me of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Big Fish and other stories that accurately follow the path of interesting, yet believable, people.

Triumphant and inspirational.
…Also, their accents and way of talking is so awesome. I’ve watched this movie so many times, my thoughts are now in a Southern accent.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Can’t say that the movie is quite as upbeat as this trailer makes it out to be, but it gives you chills nevertheless.

Gangster Squad

Director: Ruben Fleischer
Writer: Will Beall (screenplay),Paul Lieberman (novel)
Released: January 2013
Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone and Sean Penn
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Wow! I was so looking forward to seeing this and boy was it worth the wait!

It certainly reminded me of Public Enemies (featuring Johnny Depp) for obvious reasons; both based on a true story, both take place in the forties involving Los Angeles gangsters. However, the stories are clearly different.

Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling reunite again since Crazy, Stupid, Love. Both of them are fantastic together once again. Two of my favourite actors, for sure!

A very appropriate choice of lighting (or lack of) on the director’s behalf which made the feel of the movie accurate. It was rough and dangerous, yet still attractive. I am sure that the amount of people who smoked in that era was not exaggerated in the movie, too. Every interior scene was smoky, which was not only historically accurate but very artistic as it diffused the harsh lighting within the dim rooms.

I remember mentioning that I thought that there was not enough car chases in the incredible forties vehicles in Public Enemies… Well, it is safe to say that there are plenty in this movie. At least 60% of the movie are car chases or gun fights.

Unfortunately, I have to mention that the gun fights began to go on for a bit too long within some parts, stopping and starting all over the place with very few people ever getting hit by bullets. Perhaps taking the attention away from the more personal stories that could have been developed further, meaning that attachment to the characters was not quite as possible as they could have been. I think to make the gun fights more attention grabbing, some more slow motion action would have been effective.

Overall, a very exciting film set in one of my favourite time periods. A time with incredible fashion, immaculate cars and terrifyingly powerful gangsters.

Loved the wicked fists fights and sadistic criminals!

Jodie’s Rating: 7/10

My Idol: Erin Brockovich

Erin was a single mother of three, with barely enough money to feed her family, let alone pay the bills. Desperate for a job, she begged her lawyer, Edward Masry, (who was defending her in a car collision lawsuit at the time) to give her a job at his independent firm. It was here that she stumbled across a lawsuit dealing with over 1200 plaintiffs regarding major chromium contamination by a company named PG&E in Hinkley. Confused as to why health records were mixed with the real estate records, she looked into it further, eventually finding that the entire community were being poisoned without their knowledge.

Erin Brockovich had no background in law, only basic morals for the health and well being of the community. With the help of Ed Masry, they were able to bring down the multi-billion dollar corporation cover up that included doctors being hired and paid by PG&E to give the community a clean bill of health, saying that the water was not only safe, but that the chromium traces in their tap water would be beneficial for their health. This contamination was eventually proved to be the cause for many serious illnesses and deaths in the area.

“The case was settled in 1996 for US$333 million, the largest settlement ever paid in a direct action lawsuit in US history. Brockovich’s law firm received 133.6 million dollars of this settlement, and Brockovich herself received a two million dollar bonus from the action.”

Erin and her employer and close friend, Edward Masry

Erin Brockovich is an absolute heroine. She could certainly be rude and provoking with a no nonsense approach, yet her morals were in the right place. She was essentially a nobody who was able to know all of the plaintiffs personally, knowing their backgrounds and family trees enabling her to get the most up to date information to support their case.

I look up to this woman because against all odds she did something that was totally unexpected. She was able to bring down a multi-billion dollar company who’s only concern was how much profit they were making. Erin reminded everyone that people and the environment are so much more important than money, and that’s coming from somebody who had very little in the way of money.

The movie based on Brockovich's and Masry's success. Portrayed by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney. — The movie based on Brockovich’s and Masry’s success. Portrayed by Julia Roberts and Albert Finney.

I also think Erin Brockovich is a particularly perfect figure to talk about on this blog because a fantastically portrayed movie of her triumphs was released in 2000 with the amazing Julia Roberts playing Erin. It is a fantastic movie, very well made. In a world that is still ruled by billion-dollar companies, it’s still relevant. It was such a breath of fresh air to have my faith in humanity restored when an ordinary woman took the reins and did something.

She has so much integrity and is so inspirational.

Jodie.

Wreck-It Ralph

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

The Notebook

The-Notebook-movie-poster-McAdams-Gosling

Writers: Jeremy Leven and Jan Sardi. Based on The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Released: 2004
Starring: Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams
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If you haven’t watched this movie, it is basically about a wealthy girl, Allison (Rachel McAdams), who fell in love with a poor country boy, Noah (Ryan Gosling), whom her parents did not approve of. She was taken away and after a few years was engaged to marry a more ‘appropriate’ man of wealth and status.

That is until Noah comes back into the picture which forces Allison to choose between a respectable, kind young wealthy man or a free spirited, kind young poor man.

Notebook_lon the_notebook_boat

As I have mentioned many times in previous posts, romance is not my cup of tea. I don’t enjoy the predictability of them, the smooching, the overly-perfect and much-too-good-looking characters, as well as the either typically happily ever after or tragic endings.

NoahTheNotebook OR the mamsy-pamsy emotional blubbering characters who through the fog of their infatuation are unable to reach logical decisions.

For example, when Noah writes to Allie every day for 365 days after she leaves (he could have just said ‘one year’, but he kept having to make a point of saying “365 days” – for effect I suppose).

Surely, after two weeks maximum, he would have rung her, visited her or at least double checked the address. I. Mean. Seriously! You silly love drunk people…

TheNotebookallie

The Notebook is no exception to my lack of support for the romance genre.

Although I do think that Rachel McAdams is what many women want to look like, and Ryan Gosling is the pin-up boy for Hollywood’s ideal.

He’s not me though; apparently he waxes his whole body on a regular basis because he doesn’t like body hair. Also, he’s too muscley, like, to the point where he looks uncomfortable to hug. Like a rock would be.

I know what you’re thinking; “but Jodie, you gave Moulin Rouge! – the most romantic film – 9.5/10. Isn’t that hypocritical?”

Well, no, because Moulin Rouge! has integrity making it more believable with various other themes other than love. Plus, its whole basis of ‘the denial of true love’ is ironic since the Bohemian era that it was based in promoted that very thing!

The Notebook and Moulin Rouge! are two very different story lines that are portrayed completely differently with various depths and convincing content. Although their genres overlap, they are apples and oranges.

The Notebook is a Nicholas Sparks story, who has written romance novels including Dear John and The Lucky One. I am lead to believe they all strive to follow very similar story lines with similar characters.

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Admittedly, for a romance genre it is a tasteful portrayal of the characters falling in love – it’s no 50 Shade of Grey! It’s more intimate than a chick flick but still tame enough for most people to enjoy.

notebook-green-dress

I can definitely agree that the era that The Notebook was set in was pretty awesome. It was based in the 1940s so the dresses, shoes and hair-dos were rather spectacular! I love all of Allie’s wardrobe for sure.

The sets are beautiful, from the house referred to as the “Labour of Love”, to the incredible dream-like lake. The town looks like it is straight out of the forties too.

However, the ridiculously short war scene let the authenticity down. The director obviously forgot to take down notes from the shocking war film Saving Private Ryan. But I guess romance films don’t like having accurate fighting scenes as it may loose their audience who want to be taken away to a land of perfection.

I like having to think about story lines and The Notebook is two dimensional and too simple/predictable – almost cringe-worthy at times.

But, if you love romance, I’m sure you’ll love The Notebook too. It plays out very idealistic love interests with people who are certainly easy on the eye.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Moulin Rouge!

moulin-rouge-original

Director: Baz Luhrmann
Writer: Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce
Released: 2001
Starring: Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman and Ewen McGregor
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Truth, beauty, freedom and love.

I have never been a fan of sappy romance, and I still am not. Because Moulin Rouge! is not at all sappy or unbelievable, nor does the music break the suspension of disbelief. I think that it is because the acting is not over the top or overly theatrical at all.

Ewan McGregor plays the protagonist, Christian, a writer who wants to write about love, but the problem being that he has never been in love. That is until he meets Nicole Kidman’s character, Satine, a courtesan at the Moulin Rouge. Satine is forbidden to fall in love, so they must keep their relationship secret.

Christian_Satine Unfortunately, the fairytale romance unravels due to the Duke (Richard Roxburgh) – an investor in Satine and the Moulin Rouge – attempts to put an end to their love affair. Christian and Satine’s love turns into a concoction of “desire, suspicion, jealously, anger and betrayal”.

Yet, “the show must go on!”, as a beautiful parallel between the new production that the Moulin Rouge is performing called Spectacular, Spectacular and the couple’s forbidden love is intertwined with the on-stage play, which results in disastrous consequences.

Moulin-Rouge-moulin It is full of colour and energy! It feels like you’re right there in the Moulin Rouge with them. The lighting is incredible along with Baz Lurhmann’s trademark choppy edits and steadicam footage. This all adds to the excitement on the dance floor with the colourful dresses and cabaret dancers.

Throughout this is the serious and unfortunate events for each character, which is again reflected in lighting and music with very fantastical scenes. Some are metaphors such as the feeling of being on top of the world being acted quite literally.

Plus, the over all performance by the people who run the Moulin Rouge show such as Jim Broadbent’s character Harold Zidler who, although a father figure to Satine, has the priority of keeping the facade of the shows convincing to the paying customers, which is at the expense of Satine’s love for Christian.

ewan_moulinrouge The music is fantastic! They’re not songs that describe mundane things, it’s music that supports the emotion of it all. They’re modern songs by incredible artists such as Bowie, Rufus Wainwright and Elton John, as well as bands such as T.Rex, Queen and Nirvana, in an orchestral fashion, and/or medley mash-up of multiple songs, sometimes in aMoulin Rouge party style.

I have many favourite songs in this film including Your Song originally written and performed by Elton John and The Show Must Go On originally by Queen. But I have to say, I prefer the Moulin Rouge! version of every song. Elephant Love Medley is very cleverly put together with lyrics from various songs including All You Need Is Love by The Beatles, Silly Love Songs by Wings and Heroes by Bowie – the collage of twelve infamous songs is seamless!

See if you can pick out various lines from the different songs. It really picks up 2 minutes in, which is my favourite part of the song:

An example of the more serious scenes is the El Tango de Roxanne scene where some of the best dancing shown. Absolutely amazing lighting too.

Moulin Rouge! is a tragedy that reminds me of a Shakepeare play, – ironic since the director Baz Lurhmann also directed Romeo + Juliet – but the sincere romance is based within the “underworld” of cheap, make-believe love. It is layered with so much detail to notice in every scene.

Satine-Moulin-Rouge-female

Forget that it’s a musical, it’s more of a movie with a ton of music in it. Each song sung very well by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, and with convincing sincerity to keep the audience hooked.

Moulin Rouge! is a pretty heavy and emotional story – so certainly not a movie you would unwind to, despite there being some comedic scenes that almost mock the life of theatre. However, I think there is something in this film for every person to appreciate whether it’s the incredible costumes, the music, the romance or Ewan McGregor’s face.

McGregor

This has always been in my top five favourite movies, its an uplifting wonderland with a deeply moving story acted out by authentic and convincing actors.

Clearly, romance is not everybody’s cup of tea – it certainly isn’t mine – but this is not just another silly Hollywood love story.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

This is the WORST trailer of all time.

21

Director: Robert Luketic
Writer: Peter Steinfeld, Allan Loeb and Chris Kalyvas (screenplay) Ben Mezrich (story)
Released: 2008
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Kate Bosworth, Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Spacey, Liza Lapira, Aaron Yoo, Jacob Pitts
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Winner, winner chicken dinner!

21 clan Inspired by true events, this exciting and high-energy journey follows Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) as he discovers the world of counting cards and the game of blackjack in Vegas. The huge financial rewards and glamorous way of life that was supposed to be a means to an end for Ben, became an addictive and extremely risky and dangerous lifestyle choice.

Ben: You know, I’m only really doing this just to pay for medical school. You know, $300,000 and then I’m out.

Jill: That’s what they all say.

Mickey and Ben This is a fast paced film of high-rollers and well-educated characters, some with intimidating power and control. A once conscientious student becomes wrapped up in the underworld of counting cards which jeopardises his future as a Harvard Medical student as blackjack team member, Professor Mickey Rosa (Kevin Spacey), turns on him.

Mickey: You didn’t do your job. You weren’t counting, you were gambling!

The genius who pushes away a possibility to change his life with a mentor with questionable motives sort of reminds me of Good Will Hunting. But 21 is a more modern, less philosophical version with much more risk to keep you on your toes.

The lighting and quick-cut editing is quite incredible. The shadows and gold lighting of the casinos reflect the mood and how well – or tragic – the circumstances are, while the editing puts you in the shoes of the counters who’s lives are rushing past at a 100 miles an hour. The disguises that they all use on each Vegas visit is a fun addition to the work that they do.

We used hand signals, too. Folded arms, the table’s hot. A touch to the eye, we need to talk. And a hand running through perfect flowing hair meant only one thing. Get out. Now.

21 casino The soundtrack to 21 is a mixture of popular artists such as Rihanna and MGMT, classic artists such as The Rolling Stones, plus some more of the middle-of-the-road artists like Peter Bjorn and John and Unkle. There are a few R&B songs that I don’t really like, but the best parts are used in the film effectively.

I thoroughly enjoy this movie. It has action, twists, intellect, good-looking people and the life that many dream of having; fortune but with exhilarating danger and the freedom that no [average] student would ever come close to having.

I would recommend this movie to anybody.
Jodie’s rating: 8/10

Grease

grease_

Director: Randal Kleiser
Writers: (Screenplay) Bronte Woodard and Allan Carr based on Grease by Jim Jacobs Warren Casey
Released: 1978
Starring: Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta
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I have never really been a fan of musicals, but Grease is certainly an exception and an all time favourite of mine.

grease8 Musical or not, its fifties costumes and authentic hair-dos are enough to make me love this optimistic film. I love this era and it’s portrayed in the most idyllic light. Obviously Grease is essentially a stage play which isn’t lost in the movie form with the occasional fourth wall barriers lost.

Based in a high school environment, the seventeen and eighteen year old characters were almost unconvincingly played by actors in their late twenties and early thirties. But the whole shebang is so up-beat, colourful and exciting that you forget that the ages are totally wrong.

It’s a great musical because it is full of colour and lovable characters, who although are stereotyped, are easily relatable. Especially the Pink Ladies, but perhaps the T Birds were not explored individually quite as much.

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Unfortunately each of the Pink Ladies has quite a negative moral to them.

Sandy (Olivia Newton-John): You need to change and fit in to be noticed and respected.
Rizzo (Stockard Channing): Sleeping around gets you attention. Getting pregnant is a risk, but hopefully that won’t occur, and celebrations are in order whenever she realises she isn’t pregnant. Don’t bother learning your lesson.
Frenchy (Didi Conn): A little bit ditzy and attempted to break away from the crowd and do something different. However, this was too hard and frowned upon by others, it is best to stick with the crowd.
Marty (Dinah Manoff): A little arrogant and an attention seeker who is very much into her looks. Her cold dispostion is attractive to men.
Jan (Jamie Donnelly): The unattractive ‘fat’ one. Except, she’s tiny and clearly on the lower end of the average weight scale. Staying super skinny is attractive and eating in general is clearly frowned upon.

pink ladies final scene

Looking deeper into Grease, it is clear that the morals are not to be desired. Not moving forward or being different is certainly a bad thing. But, Grease is supposed to be quite a two dimensional film that is simple and entertaining. Stereotypes and happy endings make feel-good movies, which this certainly is.

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John are two great actors and singers for sure! But have you heard their reunion song!? It is so sad! They should be so proud of their accomplishments in Grease, but let’s leave it in the seventies, guys.

If you want to cringe and ruin your ideals of the two protagonists of the famous musical, feel free to watch their 2012 song:

I don’t like Travolta at the best of times – his hair looks like it’s painted on and his eyes are too blue. But this is just toe-curlingly bad!

The soundtrack has many lovely sing-a-long songs with my favourites being the comedic Look At Me, I’m Sandra Dee sung by Stockard Channing (Rizzo) and We Are Together. But my above-all favourite song is Blue Moon, I’m not sure who did this version, but it is certainly my favourite (*gasp!* even better than Elvis Presley’s!).

grease

It is a very fun, very uplifting movie that isn’t supposed to be read into too much. It was popular when it was first released in the seventies and it will continue to be extremely popular throughout future generations, I’m sure.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Edward Scissorhands

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Big Fish

Director: Tim Burton
Writer: John August (Screenplay), Daniel Wallace (Novel – Big Fish: A Novel of Mythical Proportions)
Released: 2003
Starring: Marion Cotillard, Helena Bonham-Carter, Billy Crudup, Albert Finney and Ewen McGregor
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I have mentioned this movie in quite a few other posts, relating it to Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button because of their similar stories about an average man on his adventure through life.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

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

Elf

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

Forrest Gump

Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: Screenplay by Eric Roth. Based Forrest Gump by Winston Groom
Released: 1994
Starring: Tom Hanks, Sally Field and Robyn Wright
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I love these films. The kind of stories that are based on a character’s life adventures are the most inspirational because the scripts tend to be quite philosophical. Forrest Gump is, of course, a very innocent story of a man’s journey through his life. The hurdles and the triumphs are all narrated by the protagonist Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks).

Forrest Gump is a film that shares the genre with the likes of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Big Fish and perhaps Driving Lessons. It’s those life stories that remind you of the stories that your grandparents’ would tell you. The morals, meanings and journeys that are motivational and inspirational make great films because they are believable and fascinating.

forrestjenny — Forrest (Hanks) and Jenny (Wright) take two very different paths in their lives, but their paths frequently cross as if they are drawn together.

Tom Hanks is an amazingly talented actor, so it’s no wonder that he makes a fantastic Forrest Gump – the innocent, yet dim, Southern man who only has three important things in his life; his Mother (Sally Field), his love, Jenny (Robyn Wright – incredible actress!) and God. His simplistic life takes many strange turns as he brushes among some of America’s major historical occurrences from the Vietnam war to exposing the Watergate scandal. As well as meeting the likes of President John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley – ending up influencing Presley’s dance moves – and John Lennon; consequently helping to inspire his hit song “Imagine”.

Sorry it’s a bit out of sync.

Forrest is such a likeable protagonist because of his lack of prejudice or anger toward others. This movie is based in the fifties and sixties in the South during the height of racism, but Forrest Gump has no part of it. He literally treats everybody the same, completely ignorant of their look, their race and beliefs.

There are some very sad scenes, but that is what makes Gump’s story so real. Although there many mockeries and memes at Gump’s expense, you can’t deny the script has many pearls of wisdom. Analysing fate and the existence of God, life and death – represented by a feather blowing in the wind. So deep!

Considering that this film was made in the nineties, the technology-use is absolutely fantastic! It has been made so incredibly well – I don’t see how it could possibly be improved by today’s technology… And ‘no’ making it 3D does not necessarily improve a film.

I have the soundtrack that I thoroughly enjoy. Alan Silvestri is the composer who has captured the feel of Forrest Gump very accurately. On the soundtrack are many popular sixties songs and artists including Lynyrd Skynyrd, Elvis Presley, The Youngbloods and Joan Baez. Incredible compilation!

It’s great that the drama and philosophical self-reflection is balanced out by the comedic scenes involving Forrest’s naivety, and the heart-warming moments between Forrest and Jenny. At almost two and a half hours long, this is not a film one would watch to chillax and unwind. However, it is certainly a fantastic film to have in the DVD collection at home. It is easy to get emotionally invested in as the characters are so animated and realistic.

Jodie’s Rating: 9.5/10

The Matrix

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Directors: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Writers: Andy Wachowski and Larry Wachowski
Released: 1999
Starring: Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss and Keanu Reeves
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Despite The Matrix being 13-years-old, it still has a high following and huge fan base. Often referenced and compared to modern films such as Inception and In Time. It explores an alternate universe – a different perspective of how we live today. That we are in a virtual world run by robots and machinery of the past.

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The Matrix is taught in universities and high schools as an example of gender roles. Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss) is an the ‘ideal’ strong and independent female lead. She is androgynous and avoids stereotypes. Although I would love to be Trinity, she is not my favourite character.

Matrix_113Pyxurz

One of the tech guys named Tank (Marcus Chong) is probably my favourite character because he is the most enthusiastic and positive guy who shows you how the Matrix is a marvellous place, despite its gloomy, dangerous and simplistic aesthetic. You’ll realise what a likeable guy he is when he first introduces himself to Neo.

The Matrix is obviously a mind-bending concept, but once you have got the hang of it you realise that it is an entertaining idea to consider as plausible. On a less serious note, it is a fun reason behind experiencing deja-vu and the moments that fly by versus when time feels like it’s standing still. It’s all just a glitch in the Matrix!

My favourite scene – The Oracle:

This is one of the best sci-fi movies. It involves trippy concepts, awesome lines and a load of martial art action. Fantastic! I’ve always been in two minds about whether or not I like Keanu Reeves who plays the protagonist, Neo, but he’s pretty great in The Matrix.

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If you listen to the script, it could be applied in a very positive way in regards to how we live our lives. Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) always has the best lines.

Morpheus: You take the blue pill, the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill, you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes.

Morpheus: Don’t think you are, know you are. Come on. Stop trying to hit me and hit me.” In other words, stop thinking in the future and think in the present. Don’t become something, be something.

*Gasp* – it’s so deep and meaningful!

I’m sure the majority of people have watched this movie and have loved it. But if you haven’t seen it, you should, and if you didn’t like it, then watch it until you do like it.

It is a pretty deep movie, but try to understand it and apply it to real life – it is a pretty intense perspective for sure! In fact, scientists have tried to prove that we are living in a virtual world, and some believe that it could be theoretically possible.

An amazing action/sci-fi film with an incredible script!
However, the sequels get increasingly complex with more action and a lot less story.

Jodie’s rating: 8/10

The Hangover

hangover2

Directed: Todd Phillips
Written: Jon Lucas and Scott Moore
Released: 2009
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis and Ken Jeong
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I haven’t kept up with The Hangover movies at all – in fact last night was the first time I had watched the first of the two (soon to be three) of The Hangover films (with the aid of peer pressure). I suppose I always assumed that I wouldn’t like the humour.

However, it wasn’t that bad! I wouldn’t say that I’m a huge fan of The Hangover, or that I am compelled to see the sequels. But I did find it pretty entertaining! There were some pretty hilarious moments, all involving the incredible comedy actor Zach Galifianakis. He was rather humourous in The Hangover playing Alan – the “not all there, but secret gambling genius” sort of character. Galifianakis is equally hilarious in the movie Due Date.

There were some really crazy, random, unbelievable occurrences that were all a part of the weird circumstances that these four guys found themselves in during their stag party in Las Vegas. The night that was happily forgotten by morning, became a night that they were fighting to remember as the conclusions of the night’s events became shocking in the harsh light of day.

It is certainly a very entertaining movie, even if it wasn’t really my cup of tea humour-wise, I still enjoyed it.

Jodie’s rating: 6/10

Skyfall

Director: Sam Mendes
Writers: Screenplay by: Neal Purvis, Robert Wade and John Logan
Released: 2012
Starring: Javier Bardem, Daniel Craig, Judi Dench and Ralph Fiennes
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I’m not a huge James Bond fan, nevertheless I can fully appreciate the epic awesomeness of the 23rd film of the 50 year-long Bond series.

This had it all. Fighting, car chases, scary bad guys and beautiful women. Obviously all of these are the ingredients necessary to make a successful and authentic Bond film. So what was different about this one?

The lighting is absolutely amazing. It really accents the traditionally spectacular surroundings that are classically chosen for Bond movies. Skyfall was most certainly no different with beautiful Scottish environment where the final fight occurs – Bond fights Silva; ice fights fire – and everything makes a full circle. The storyline was very well intertwined with the history of James Bond and supported by the amazing locations! I want to meet this location scout they used…

skyfall7 — Raoul Silva played by *Javier Bardem*

Javier Bardem plays the villain Raoul Silva which he played so convincingly! No jokes! He creeped everyone out in the theatre when he first appeared on screen with his bleached hair and he is most certainly a serious personal-space-invader, where you lean back in your seat to try and get some distance. He’s also a sadistic killer, a techno-freak and over-all a dodgy character, which makes him so perfect! An amazing villain!!

I enjoyed this film so much that I managed to ignore the fact that I really don’t like Daniel Craig... As James Bond anyway. He just seems too arrogant to be 007… Plus his blue eyes look unnaturally blue…

Judi Dench who plays M finds herself in the field with Bond which makes the stakes higher than ever! So intense! I don’t even need to go into what a fantastically talented actress Judi Dench is. She’s amazing as per usual.

benwhishawq600 — I love this guy! Q played by *Ben Whishaw*

Ben Whishaw plays the character Q – the Quarter Master – and does a spectacular job too! He was so cool with his dry humour and casual intelligence. Very cool. Very cool indeed. Actually, the casual humour was all the way through the movie by several characters which was a great way to lighten it up.

I was surprised that there were not many car chases… Only one I think. With very few flash-looking cars! To be honest I can barely distinguish a Mini Cooper to a Land Rover, but I did notice that the amount of cool-looking vehicles was at a minimum.

As a side note, the music for the opening title sequence was by Adele. I don’t think it was a bad choice at all. But, perhaps not the best? I suppose it’s the thought of having a pop star singing for a traditional and long-running film franchise, she just seems a little too superficial for a noble and deep-rooted James Bond movie..? Then again, she is very talented and I’m not sure who I would have preferred to have sung it.

Overall, this Bond film is full of twists and turns, shocking moments, action (but not to the point where it gets boring) and creativity. It is a bit of a marathon to watch at 143 minutes. So make sure you don’t drink too much before going to see it – at no point will you want to miss out on anything to run to the loo.

You won’t know what’s coming!
Jodie’s rating: 8.5/10

Stranger Than Fiction

Stranger-than-Fiction-will-ferrell

Director: Marc Forster
Writer: Zach Helm
Released: 2006
Starring: Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Queen Latifah and Emma Thompson
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I. Love. This. Movie.

I first watched this in Media Studies class to study the narrative structure, and ever since then I have been able to watch it numerous times and never get bored… I know the entire script almost off by heart now.

Stranger Than Fiction is about a man – Harold Crick (Will Ferrell) – who can hear a voice narrating every event in his life, but it becomes sinister when the narrator casually mentions his approaching death.

Narrator: Little did he know that this simple, seemingly innocuous act would result in his imminent death.

Harold Crick now has to try and find the author to get her to stop writing before she completely writes him out of existence.

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I guess the first awesome thing about this film is the cast. Will Ferrell was never really an actor that I thought too much of until his versatility was shown in this comedy drama. He plays a very mundane and dry person, yet Ferrell’s subtle comedic value turns his character into a convincing yet entertaining person as he discovers his purpose in life is more than just being an IRS agent.

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Emma Thompson shows her insane abilities as a struggling author, yet without becoming a drag. She makes her character, Kay, so comedic yet so believable – as with all of her characters that she has ever played. You totally understand where she’s coming from. She has a lot of great come backs with no hesitation or concern for other’s emotional feelings.

Penny: And I suppose you smoked all these cigarettes?
Kay: No, they came pre-smoked.
Penny: Yeah, they said you were funny.

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I can’t go without mentioning Dustin Hoffman. His acting is SO accurate for his character – spot on! He acts as Harold’s mentor and does so in full confidence that Harold is telling him the truth, and takes it very seriously. Professor Hilbert has many little habits that I would expect to be accurate for his career and character, such as excessive coffee consumption and loud eating.

Harold: You have to understand that this isn’t a philosophy or a literary theory or a story to me. It’s my life.
Professor Jules Hilbert: Absolutely. So just go make it the one you’ve always wanted.

Maggie Gyllenhaal as Ana Pascal

My favourite character is the baker; Ana Pascal played by Maggie Gyllenhaal. She is a rebellious yet respectable woman who brings Harold to life. I wanted to own a cookie store after I watched Stranger Than Fiction. She’s just such a cool character with strong morals.

Ana: Mr. Crick, it was a really awful day. I know, I made sure of it. So pick up the cookie, dip it in the milk, and eat it.

This movie is not a light chick-flick at all (even though it has my favourite romance storyline of all time). It is about identity and real life – the characters are not stereotyped or perfect by any stretch.

It’s about feeling out of control of your life, but with determination, focus and the right people, you can change your life to make it what you want it to be. You only have your life’s outline written for you; but you can always change it if you really want to.

The music is amazing – it goes so well with every scene – and I am most definitely going to put this on my Christmas list… *Hint hint*. My favourite song is Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric and Bottles and Bones by Califone.

The structure is perfect, and once it gets going you realise how emotionally attached to the characters you are. Because they have won you over with their subtle comedy, and lines that you will end up trying to find the perfect conversation to drop them into. My favourite line is by Ana: “You. Miscreant.”

I haven’t been able to drop that into a casual convo as of yet though.

If you enjoy Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, you are likely to enjoy this trippy story. However, it is a tragic comedy that everyone will enjoy.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

Twilight

Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Writer: Stephanie Meyer (novel) and Melissa Rosenberg (screenplay)
Released: 2008
Starring: Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart
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This is a rather delayed review of the first film of the Twilight Saga. But it has won the poll with an impressive 221 votes! It’s a much longer review than usual, so to keep you interested, I have put in a lot of pretty pictures. So here is my take on it:

First of all, I think we need to ignore our prejudices – whether it’s from the Twihards or the Twilight haters, and watch the film as if we have never heard about it before.

The first thing that I can comment truthfully on is the music. If anything, I do enjoy the music very much, so much so that I have bought the soundtrack. Researching into it further, the music supervisor was Alexandra Patsavas who also worked on the famous soundtracks of Grey’s Anatomy. She picks unknown and indie songs along with well-known musicians and their more unheard music. If anything, the emotion comes from the music in this film.

Emotion, however, is not something that would be seen throughout the protagonists. Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her vampire boyfriend, Edward, (Robert Pattinson) are predominately absent of extreme feelings or overall facial movement. This makes me feel awkward throughout the whole film because I can’t relate to Bella’s lack of action or opinion in anything she does

kristen_stewart_1173804060 — Kristen Stewart and Jodie Foster in the amazing thriller Panic Room. An awesome film – with surprisingly great acting on Stewart’s behalf… Where did it all go wrong?

(who would have thought that this is the same actress who played the girl in Panic Room alongside Jodie Foster!?).

Bearing in mind that she is in a house full of vampires… I’m just saying, if I were in a situation where I was hanging out with vampires for the first time, I would not have a blank appearance… I would either be totally fascinated and asking them a ton of questions, or I would locate the nearest emergency exit.

However, lets be honest, these vampires are not the traditional sort.

zurial-30-days-of-night — The type of vampire from 30 Days of Night directed by David Slade (who also directed Twilight: Eclipse)

Although it could be applauded to go outside the box and stay away from the tall, pale, black-haired, cloaked, haunting figure who has fangs and sleeps in a coffin. But I don’t think that Twilight’s Hollywood-moulded type of vampire really works for me.

Vampires are/were my favourite super-natural fantasy creature, with the likes of The Lost Boys and 30 Days of Night being just a couple of my favourite interpretations of the blood-sucking killers.

edward_sparkling-1 — “Vampire” of a different kind…

But now, every time a vampire is mentioned in casual conversation, the first thing that pollutes our mind is Meyer’s lustful image of a certain Mr. Edward Cullen, and not the fearless, sadistic killers that would once come to mind.

But the 25 year old-looking high schoolers who glittered in daylight and are transformed into sexualised and attractive killers… Well. It just doesn’t go down well for me. I think that vampire + sparkles = evil fairy… Not a pin-up highschool boy, like Hollywood has portrayed Edward Cullen to be. It makes nobody scared or nervous, but practically asks the internet to make numerous memes about him.

I would also like to note that the vampire Cullen family drive a Volvo. A Volvo. Not a dangerous motorcycle. But the immortal beings who can not be harmed drive a safe family vehicle… I… I can not fathom this peculiar choice of automobile. If I could not be hurt or killed, I would not only drive a dangerous and rebellious-looking motorbike, but I would drive it at great speeds… Without a helmet on too! What kind of vampire drives a Volvo? Aren’t they one of the safest cars on the road? Made for safety-conscious families who can in fact be injured..? But, I guess fantastical one-hundred year-old creatures with skin as cold and clammy as a rock on a chilly winters day, who would not sustain a mere scratch in a severe car crash, would also be attracted to the top safety ratings and efficient air bags… Makes sense. -_-

I also have a huge problem with how Bella is portrayed. It just seems like she is happy to throw away her entire life for a boy. She’s seventeen and runs away with some guy she just met – a guy who she knows to be a predatory killer. It just seems crazy. She was going to go to university and everything.

Plus, we are frequently reminded that she is totally vulnerable and in danger of being hurt all the time – she has to be looked after and looked out for. It just feels like she’s a pathetic and battered down “pet” – which is in fact how she is referred to in Twilight: New Moon. I always prefer a female lead to be strong, like Trinity in The Matrix and Katniss in The Hunger Games. Why would I want to be put in the shoes of a weakling?

Having had a rage at the characters and the actors, I can say that I do like the filters that were used. The ice blue filter that makes you feel cold whenever there is a vampire in the room. The accented green in the woods to show the intimidation yet fascination around Edward Cullen.
I only wish that this filtration was continued throughout the sequels because it does not show the collection of films as a uniform, but jars the relation between each addition. I can only contrast this to the Harry Potter movies where the feel of each film is similar or only enhanced with each sequel, not necessarily changed.

I would also like to comment on the use of special effects and stunts, despite some of the directorial decisions being questionable, I do think that the stunts are simple, yet effective (although perhaps not always particularly believable). Especially with the fight between Edward and James in the mirrored dance hall where the camera work was done quite well, despite the use of wires being obvious.

To end this positively negative review on a high note, here is a funny video:
Bad lip reading of Twilight...

keifer-sutherland-vampires — Keifer Sutherland is the best [looking] ‘teenage’ vampire. And at least The Lost Boys didn’t take themselves too seriously; it was a black comedy after all.

I think that there is a lot of hype over nothing, but also a bit of shame among those who secretly enjoy the film. I don’t think it’s “bad”. It’s just… poor. It could have been done better if the cast was re-thought. But, even so, the characters were pretty pathetic too… It should have become a film that faded into the background; a one-hit wonder.

I don’t think it really deserves the hype – or the hate – that it has attracted. The appreciation would have been more appropriate if the movie came and went. It would have done much better as a fantasy horror – not a fantasy highschool chick-flick.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

Whip It

Director: Drew Barrymore
Writer: Shauna Cross
Released: 2009
Starring: Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page
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First of all, don’t be put off by Drew Barrymore as the director… Your preconceptions are invalid.

Whip It is certainly a fun and enjoyable film based around the exciting sport of Roller Derby. Since watching this movie, I really wanted to go to a Roller Derby bout which I was lucky enough to do this year. Boy, the violence portrayed in the movie is clearly through the eyes of Hollywood – it is so much more brutal in real life. Or maybe our Kiwi players are just more violent…? It was awesome nonetheless.

So, Whip It is about a seventeen year old girl called Bliss (Ellen Page <3) who discovers the world of Roller Derby and sees it as a way of setting herself free from her mother’s “50s womanhood” household.

EllenPageAliaShawkat — Pash (Alia Shawkat) and Bliss (Ellen Page) at their day job in the “bustling metropolis know as Bodeen, Texas”.

It explores friendship, change and rebellion. It is truly a cool film which makes you want to become a Roller Derby player after every watch; the energy is contagious! By the end of the film you will be picking our your derby name!

Ellen Page has always been one of my favourite actors (Inception, Juno…) and every female character has such a strength about them – almost androgynous – similar to the

LandonPigg — Bliss (Elen Page) and Oliver (Landon Pigg) make a fantastic pair, with Landon Pigg being a musician in real life, his band’s songs were included which were fantastic.

likes of Trinity from The Matrix. It’s very empowering.

I guess because Bliss (who becomes Babe Ruthless) is an “alternative” girl from a misfit town who beats all odds and becomes her own hero. A powerful message that is portrayed is that you should do what makes you happy at that moment – it doesn’t matter if it is not your career path or that you do it forever; just that you experience it and live in the moment is what matters.

Musically it transforms the potential chick-flick feel into a deeper and more emotional journey. My favourite score being “The Road To Austin” by the Section Quartet. As well as Jens Lekman’s “Your Arms Around Me” which is best heard with the scene that it is used with. They go together perfectly.

Drew Barrymore has really made a reputable name for herself behind the camera as well as in front, for sure. A fun and easy-watch but also an inspirational story that captures a vivid snapshot of Bliss’ life in a way that includes the realistic ‘ups and downs’ of life.

A feel-good comedy-drama. Worth a watch!

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Written: Screenplay: Eric Roth, Short story: F. Scott Fitzgerald
Directed: David Fincher (Fight Club, Panic Room, The Social Network…)
Released: 2008/2009
Starring: Cate Blanchett and Brad Pitt
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So, I have owned this DVD for a while now and I really love it. Although I do remember the hesitation I had toward it because it was a deep and meaningful movie with… Brad Pitt in it.

Unfortunately I had not seen Fight Club and 12 Monkeys before I saw Benjamin Button, so I had no idea of his acting capabilities. I only had the handful of average movies he had starred in and gossip columns about the latest child he had adopted to judge him by.

Brad Pitt was certainly impressive, though. I’ll be the first to admit that he is in no way on my list of favourite actors. However, it did make me realise that if you ignore the publicity, the personal information that is blown out of proportion by the media, and his ridiculous long hair that screams “I DON’T WANT TO GROW UP!!”, he definitely has some talent in there!

But ultimately, this film is thought-provoking and fantastic! It is in no way a light-hearted or an easy watch, but certainly one that you should see when you have a night to yourself.

If you love Forrest Gump (screenplay also written by Eric Roth) and Big Fish, you’ll enjoy this. Just like those films, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is an insightful biographical recollection of a fascinating character, whose life stories and moral outlook is inspirational to say the least.

big-fish-Sandra-Edward — Sandra and Edward

Benjamin Button is about a man who physically ages backwards but still ultimately grows up like any ‘normal’ man. Which does remind me of Forrest Gump; “What is normal anyway?” and Big Fish; “My muscles and my bones couldn’t keep up with my body’s ambition…”. It explores the life skills and influences that mould one’s character into who they fundamentally are.

ForrestJennyForrest — Forrest Gump and Jenny

The saying “an old soul” comes to mind what talking about Benjamin Button.

Of course, who one turns out to be ultimately depends on the sort of experiences that they encounter, and Benjamin Button turns out to be a very average kind of guy – just like Forrest Gump and Edward Bloom – it’s just that their amazing life stories make them admirable and interesting.

benjamin-button-Daisy — Benjamin Button and Daisy

Just like listening to a grandparent’s war stories; ordinary people in unordinary situations.

I think although parallels can be drawn from the likes of Forrest Gump and Big Fish, the innocence has been extracted from Benjamin Button’s story. Perhaps this make it more realistic. Although it is certainly a darker tale.

The special effects are certainly something to marvel at. Because it is about a man who ages backwards, the physical look of each stage from an elderly baby to a youthful man is remarkable and realistic.

This movie explores personal identity, beliefs, motivations and pressures that makes people who they are. There are constant references to fate which I find intriguing; “you never know what’s comin’ for you”.

A great and inspirational story to say the least.

Jodie’s rating: 9/10

Looper

Director: Rian Johnson
Writer: Rian Johnson
Released: September 2012
Starring: Joseph Gordan-Levitt, Bruce Willis, Paul Dano and Emily Blunt
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Updated: March 2018

I love time travelling films! I was in love with this film the moment it began as it explained the world of looping, the jargon used and the dangers of it. It was so awesome!

The first time I watch Looper, I was disappointed because I had a different storyline in mind. But I keep coming back to this movie and appreciating it more for what it is.

Looper is set in the year 2044, where 30 years into the future (2074), time-travel has been invented. Badass rich people send back the people that need ‘taking care of’, meaning the body will never be discovered in the year 2074.

This is the loopers’ job. They kill the people of 2074 in return for silver – giving them the life of drugs, sex and rock ‘n’ roll. It’s a business where Loopers ‘take out the trash’ for the criminals of the future.

So that’s a pretty inventive setting, and the first 40 minutes or so where they explain the loopers’ occupation and what happens if they fail to do their job is very cool indeed.

When a looper is no longer needed, the criminals of the future send the looper’s future self back to the looper of 2044 to be unknowingly killed. This is called ‘closing the loop’.

However, looper Joe (Joseph Gordan-Levitt) hesitates when he recognises the target is his future self (Bruce Willis), accidentally allowing him to escape. Joe attempts to kill Old Joe and fulfil his contract, but he is too late. Old Joe is on a mission to get his life in 2074 back, and Young Joe is on a mission to kill his future self to ensure the next 30 years of his life is a comfortable one.

Old Joe is on the hunt for a child who grows up to be the baddie of the future, who is ‘closing all the loops’. He hopes that if he kills this kid, then his loop would not be closed in the future and he can stay in his happy 2074 life. Somehow.

This links into that age-old question, ‘if you could, would you kill Baby Hitler to ensure the Holocaust never happens?’. A true Stephen King thriller right there.

Hopefully this makes sense – time travel stories are always flawed and complicated. Just how I like ’em!

Just like in Total Recall, they threw in a hovering vehicle to remind the audience that they are in the future. Thanks, Hollywood.

There are some parts where you think they’ve gone a bit too far, making it a tad comical. Including Joseph Gordan-Levitt’s ‘young Bruce Willis’ face, and a kid whose tantrums cause what appear to be nuclear explosions.

Nevertheless, worth a look-see if you love time travel, gun fights or a simplified, PG version of Inception. But it is a very random kind of film.

Jodie’s rating: 7/10

PS: Paul Dano from Little Miss Sunshine is in Looper! He plays Seth… His storyline is so intense!!

Pitch Perfect

Director: Jason Moore
Writer: Kay Cannon. Based on Pitch Perfect by Mickey Rapkin
Released: September 2012
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Okay, this movie was actually pretty funny! I felt like I needed to suppress my laughing fits so that nobody thought I had such a weird sense of humour – which this movie kind of does.

I really enjoyed it – perhaps more than I would care to let on since it is just a chick flick… But it’s not your typical “boy gets girl”, “random dudes stripping off”, “getting drunk and hooking up”… Okay, well that’s a lie, there was all of the above, but the movie tended to make fun of these stereotypical characteristics of the genre, which set it apart.

Beca – the protagonist – is played by the awesome Anna Kendrick… I reckon Ellen Page would have suited this character too…

Also, the fact that it certainly focussed on the music more than anything – you should see the list of songs in the credits! Plus, I liked how Pitch Perfect had a ‘point’ despite being just a fun, entertaining film. It emphasised diversity and non-conformity while either avoiding stereotypes, or blatantly stating them.

I guess I’m missing out on the main point of the movie, which is that it was all about the competitive world of acapella. I thought “Glee + Bring It On”, but it was actually a thousand times better than either of those. Competitions between numerous groups of dudes and girls who battle for the best performance of any song using nothing but their vocal chords. They all sounded fantastic… Even though their voices were obviously perfected in post. Almost too flawless actually…

Fat Amy has to be everybody’s favourite character, just because she is so freakin’ hilarious. I was so disappointed that they didn’t include the “pirate dancing” scene though… They replaced it with the “mermaid dancing” scene. So, here is the pirate dancing clip since you won’t see it in the movie (25 seconds in):

But the character who made me laugh the most was actually Lilly aka “The Quiet One”… I shan’t give away too many details – but look out for her!

My favourite thing about the movie? Probably that it was set in a university and not a High School! I’m so fed up of 20-something year old actors playing 16 year olds… Also, the love story took a major back seat! So refreshing!! There were also a lot of rather funny one-liners. Most of them being puns… Which were really quite “punny”… Ha.

The worst part? The pointless and really weird idea of having a character that has a tendency to vomit… A lot. Not only does it take you by surprise, but it makes one ponder the reasoning behind why this addition was actually required.

Over all, a very funny film that is worth seeing!

Jodie’s rating: 7.5/10
(Omg, higher than Looper!)

Two Little Boys

Director: Robert Sarkies
Writers: Duncan and Robert Sarkies
Released: September 2012
Starring: Bret McKenzie, Hamish Blake, Maaka Pohatu, Filip Berg
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I am so disturbed! Okay, I know it was a black comedy, but where was the comedy?

It was about Deano (Hamish Blake) who showed his ability to dispose of the man that his friend, Nige (Bret McKenzie) accidentally killed. They both go on a wild adventure to dispose of the body, eventually Deano decides to cut the body up. He comments on the consistency of the spinal chord of the corpse in gruesome detail with sound effects to match.

The story continues as he plans to murder Nige’s new best friend, a large security guard who I thought was the funniest of all three.

This movie was nothing like I expected it to be. After watching Hamish and Andy’s Australian television series, I was expecting it to be more of that kind of slap-stick, silly comedy. But it really wasn’t… It was just… Freaky.

Hamish and Bret — “Just doing some washing…”

I actually couldn’t tell you any specific jokes I liked to be honest… The story was easy to follow and straight forward, but nothing really stood out. (Except for the parts that made me cringe…) If you have seen the film with Dylan Moran in it named “A Film With Me In It”, you’ll know what I mean when I say that it was a dark film that almost made you feel guilty by laughing either out of nervousness, or at the few funny parts.

Don’t think that it’s a kiwiana film with deep and meaningful themes, nor is it a movie that expresses the kiwi humour. It does, however, present the 1980s New Zealand in a way that seems pretty legit’. It is certainly aimed at the New Zealand audience.

It’s probably not a film you would be buzzing about and talking about after… Probably not something you would watch more than once either. If you want to have a laugh, watch the trailer.

Jodie’s rating: 4/10

Hit & Run

Directors: David Palmer and Dax Shepard
Writers: Dax Shepard with David Palmer
Released: August 2012
Starring: Dax Shepard, Kristen Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Tom Arnold, Bradley Cooper
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Well. It wasn’t bad. I mean, I wasn’t exactly expecting a lot after seeing the trailer, but it wasn’t as terrible as it made it out to be.

There were are few funny parts, but they were few and far between. The actors were good though, and the car chase scenes were pretty good. But, I swear the producers had a check list:

Good-looking people: check!

HitandRun-shepard&bell — Dax Shepard and Kristen Bell. (I thought these two had great chemistry – turns out they’re dating in real life)

Fast cars: check!

Guns: check!

Storyline: n/a

At the end of the film, we wondered where the conflict actually was, since it seemed like the ‘absolute low’ was not that much below the climax. It was just a series of unfortunate events that led to a pleasant resolution.

But the parts that were funny made up for some of the lame scenes/humour as well as the unbelievable gun fights… But this was a comedy so realism isn’t exactly on the top of the list anyway, I guess.

An easy-to-watch and entertaining movie. Probably not worth seeing twice or buying the dvd since it would take me 10 seconds to recite the storyline after one viewing (including the five minutes I missed when I fell asleep).

But, you know. It was okay.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

Total Recall

Director: Len Wiseman
Writers: Ronald Shusett, Dan O’Bannon, Jon Povill and Kurt Wimmer
Released: 2012
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So, it was between watching Total Recall or Bourne Legacy. I am not a fan of action so after watching the trailers I decided on Total Recall based solely on the fact that it mentioned dreams. Due to being an Inception fanatic, I decided that this action film would be the best choice.

It was alright. Not great. But not unbearable either.

The overall exterior urban sets were pretty much Blade Runner – a futuristic Asian city with bright lights and pouring rain. Just to make sure that you knew that it was set in the future, they threw in a few flying cars… Just in case you weren’t sure. My friend said he was surprised there were no laser guns to further reinforce the time era.

There were a few cool things though, like the plate in some of their hands that was a tracker/phone and when their hand was placed on a piece of glass, the image of the caller was projected onto the glass.

I think that the two main women characters should have been made to look a little more different… Two tall long-haired brunettes running around begin to look like the same one after a while.

I suppose I wasn’t really emotionally invested in it so I didn’t get worried when the protagonist was in a spot of bother, nor did I feel a relief when he got himself out of a sticky situation. Perhaps this was because I didn’t see the original film with Arnold Schwarzenegger in it, or because I’m not a fan of the genre. However, I think a vital issue was that it was so predictable. It was the standard stereotypical structure of an action film which left nothing to the imagination.

A few typical characteristics of action films (including Total Recall) were:

Despite the amount of bullets being shot, nobody ever seemed to get hit.

When one character got knocked out in a crash landing of a hover car, she had a full recovery within hours with nothing but a 2 centimetre blemish to prove she was previously unconscious. (Don’t want the main characters to be unattractive)
When the ‘baddie’ had the protagonist trapped, she gave a monologue so the ‘good guy’ had the chance to kill her.
The ‘baddie’ always makes a come-back before the end. (The fatal finale)

There is a big question at the end, of course. Was it a dream all along? But due to the lack of ‘minor details’ to back up either theory, I found that it really did not matter either way. Unlike Inception where the end was debatable with lots of nit-picky bits to back yourself up. (“The spinning top was tipping at the end” or “the memory was identical to ‘real life'” etcetera… ).

If you’re in to a bit of action and a bit of sci-fi, or you enjoyed the original, I’m sure you will like this film…

But it just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Jodie’s rating: 5/10

PS: Bill Nighy was epic as usual! Pretty decent American accent too.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Director: Chrisopher Nolan
Written: Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer. Characters created by Bob Kane
Released: July 2012
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
—

Perhaps my expectations were simply too high. I loved the 2008 The Dark Knight so much that I expected this film to be equally as captivating and shocking… Just in a different way due to the obvious absence of Heath Ledger… *sigh*.

Bane Joker — The Joker was way more scary, more funny and much more shocking than ‘Bane’.

Of course it was epically shot with fantastic sets, lighting, special effects, stunts and characters – kudos to Mr. Nolan who is a fantastic film maker with Inception and The Prestige being my two of my favourite movies of his…
It’s just the storyline of The Dark Knight Rises sucked a bit…

Now, I know many people who have seen the film will be up in arms about what me thinking badly of this Batman film, and the people who haven’t seen it will be gob-smacked and shaking their heads. But seriously, if you just ignore all the “10 out of 10” and “better than the previous film” comments and take away your high expectations that will probably blind you into thinking that it is epically incredible… You will see that it wasn’t – at least not in every way. This is why:

I go to see superhero films because I like to see super people acting heroically. However, I found that for the majority of the film, Batman was in a spot of bother with no foreseeable way of escape. It just got depressing watching Batman being defeated right until the end pretty much… I mean, it’s called a three-act structure because there are ups and downs that keep the audiences’ attention. It just seems that the hero’s journey was going increasingly downhill from the beginning.

Also, Batman’s enemy, Bane, is a masked man who sounds like he has an amplifier attached to his belt which, although it was creepy, his voice kept distorting and I missed quite a few lines.
Plus, the fact that his name was “Bane” began to sound like “Wayne” (as in Bruce Wayne) and they were talking about being in ‘pain’ a lot too, so the rhyming didn’t help the understanding of the characters. Christian Bale’s Batman voice gets on my nerves too… Sometimes I just couldn’t take him seriously.

I have to say I was extremely concerned about Anne Hathaway being Catwoman! However, she certainly stole the show – the Cat Burglar was incredible. Good on Anne Hathaway for her performance.

Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were obviously flawless, that barely needs to be mentioned; they’re both very well established and respected actors for good reason.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt was terrific too – I’m sure we will see more of him in the following Batman films.

I only know people who thought this film was fantastic. Having said that, every one of them could think of at least one major thing that they would change in film.
I’m afraid I will have to break the mould and not give full marks to this very well made film.

It’s worth seeing, but don’t get your hopes up.
Jodie’s rating: 6/10